A relatively new branch of the global healthcare system, Urology deals with diseases and issues related to the urinary system. While Urology was introduced in India in the 1950s, the sector has grown by leaps and bounds regarding technical innovations, surgical procedures, and awareness among the crowd. As a technically driven specialty, various technical innovations over the years have been widely adopted, helping the sector evolve rapidly. While there are more than 5600 certified Urologists today in India, any discussion of the Indian Urological sector would be incomplete without mentioning Dr. Ajit Saxena, a prominent Indian Urologist and Andrologist who has pioneered numerous medical innovations as well as treatment procedures related to Urology in India.

Humble Beginnings to Great Success

After his MBBS from Maulana Azad Medical College, Dr. Saxena did his MS in General Surgery in 1982 from Delhi University. Later, he moved to the UK, where he spent over a decade working at various reputed hospitals before returning to India. Initially, he joined Sir Ganga Ram Hospital as a Junior Consultant and worked there for around two years. During his tenure at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, he got the chance to perform a radical cystectomy, a surgical procedure that was completely new in the region. After Apollo Hospital opened its branch in Delhi, he joined there as a Senior Consultant, leading to an incredibly fruitful collaboration of over 26 years that has continued even till today.

Revolutionizing the Indian Urology Sector

Dr. Saxena is also one of the very few people to have opted for the Mitrofanoff procedure, a surgical procedure that was extremely rare at that time in India. “A young patient was suffering from incontinence of urine that was leaking all the time and was told that nothing could be done about it. His life was miserable. I took up the challenge and did the Mitrofanoff procedure, a difficult surgical procedure, where another passage for urine is made through catheterization while blocking the passage of the existing one. Today, he is doing absolutely fine”, explains Dr. Saxena.

Coming to surgical procedures, Dr. Saxena has extensive expertise in pretty much all kinds of surgical procedures in Urology. At the beginning of his Urology career, when there was no armamentarium available, a majority of the surgical procedures that he was involved in used to be open surgeries before gradually moving on to minimalistic invasive procedures, such as Laparoscopic, Ureteroscopic, and Cystoscopic procedures. Dr. Saxena was the first in India to buy the Swiss LithoClast machine, used for breaking stones in the ureter, and even learned to use it. Apart from that, he was also the first person to introduce bloodless surgery in prostate operations and robotic surgery in India.

One factor that helps Dr. Saxena stand out is his reputation as a good listener. A compassionate doctor, he makes his patients feel at ease and lets them speak their minds. He is also well-known for mixing light-hearted conversations into his consultations. Being a good speaker also gives him a lot of exposure to other doctors.

The key to preventing any kind of urological disorders for any patient is lifestyle management

Spreading Words Against Erectile Dysfunction

In a conservative society like ours, Erectile Dysfunction, in the 90s, wasn’t even considered a legitimate health issue and had a taboo attached to it. A renowned Andrologist, Dr. Saxena had done extensive research on the subject and had even found a cure for the same much before Viagra was introduced. He also has been doing penile implants regularly, a much more effective relief against erectile dysfunction. According to Dr. Saxena, “While people in the past were not that attentive towards lifestyle management, today, lifestyle management is the key to preventing any kind of urological disorders for any patient. Apart from that, people also need to avoid alcohol and smoking and control their diabetes. Based on studies, a vegetarian diet largely decreases the chances of having prostate cancer”.


Successful Case Studies

He recalls helping two patients recently, whose conditions were termed as Cancer. While one was suffering from tuberculosis, the other one had a rare condition of Syphilis and was looking at the risk of having his penis removed. It was Dr. Saxena’s extensive industry experience and strong hold on the subject matter that helped figure out these benign cases.

In a career spanning over 35 years, Dr. Saxena has helped numerous people through his ground-breaking surgical as well as treatment procedures while constantly pushing the sector to new heights. “One of the reasons I took Urology is that we have new developments every other day. While open surgery used to be the only solution for Prostate in the past, currently, we have multiple alternatives available for the same. While patients with serious BPH issues used to have their prostate removed in the past, now, eight out of ten cases are getting cured through medicines. That's the beauty of urology”, Dr. Saxena signs off.