Being the world’s most populated country, India is home to over 48 crore children aged below 18 years. Increasing levels of environmental pollution, climate change and unhealthy lifestyle habits among today’s parents have been some of the primary factors that have resulted in an additional increase in pediatric congenital malformations cases across the country. Fetal scans are able to detect these malformations very much when the baby is forming in mothers womb. As a result, there is an immediate need for child care surgery specialists and pediatricians to stepin and save the country from the clutches of this serious problem. A Pediatric Surgeon’s role starts from this inside uterus journey of an unborn child till the kids are 18 years old which comprises the pediatric age group.

Among the myriad of pediatric surgeons that currently exist in India, one eminent personality that stands a notch higher than the rest due to his 20+ years of experience in the field and patient-centric approach is Dr. M Yoga Nagendhar. After completing his MBBS in Siddhartha Medical College, Vijayawada, Dr. Yoga Nagendhar went on to pursue MS in General Surgery from Manipal Academy of Higher Education followed by super speciality degree MCh in Pediatric Surgery from the same institution. Post that, he completed his DNB in Pediatric Surgery from AIIMS and started working with Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad. After serving there two decades, he joined KIMS Cuddles as the Chief Consultant Pediatric Surgeon last year and is today among the most well-renowned and reputed pediatric surgeons in the country.

“Compared to adult patients, treating a child patient is extremely challenging as they don’t speak out, and it is up to the doctor’s ability to understand the nature of their problems. Pediatric Surgeon is specialized in finishing the unfinished Gods work. However, successfully treating a child and seeing the entire family happy has been one of the most rewarding moments of my career as a pediatric surgeon”, says Dr. Yoga Nagendhar.

Key Areas of Specialization

As a specialist pediatric surgeon, Dr. Yoga Nagendhar provides treatment to a wide range of conditions such as external genitalia problems, congenital malformations and pediatric urology problems related to kidney, ureter and bladder to name a few. Some of the primary treatment procedures that he specializes in include Pediatric Surgery, Neonatal Surgery, Pediatric Urology, Pediatric Laparoscopy and Pediatric Thoracoscopy. Further, he has also taken-up advanced training programs in minimal invasive surgery and robotic surgery, which he utilizes in his surgical procedures to ensure patients get the maximum benefits from the treatment process.

Keeping patient experience and satisfaction as paramount, Dr. Yoga Nagendhar makes sure that his patients are provided with nothing short of the best in terms of quality of care and treatment options. Thus, only uses the latest and most advanced surgical techniques such as thoracoscopy and AI-integrated periodic robotic surgery. While the former ensures that only a minor scar is left on the patient’s body post surgery, the latter enables the surgeons to have a highly enhanced visibility of the patient’s bodily area that is being operated. This way, Dr. Yoga Nagendhar ensures to provide holistic care to his patients.

“Unlike earlier times when we had top open-up the chest to perform the diaphragmatic hernia surgery and leave a life-long scar on the patient’s body, we now follow a thoracoscopic approach, wherein we make three small holes on the patient’s chest area through which we are able to successfully perform the diaphragmatic hernia repair with bare minimum scar on the patient’s body. As a result, patients don’t have to go through the hassle of managing the cosmetic aspect of the scars all through their lives. This has been one of the key differential factors that have positioned me as the top-of-the-mind choice for pediatric surgeries in the country”, adds Dr. Yoga Nagendhar.

Unique Patient Engagement Process

Clearly understanding the emotional turmoil that parents undergo if their kids have a health problem, Dr. Yoga Nagendhar handholds them throughout the entire treatment. Once any kind of congenital malformations are detected in the fetal scan, he conducts a prenatal counseling with the parents,discusses with them about the complications that might arise after child birth, clearly communicates to them whether the condition can be cured through surgery or not, and accordingly decide upon the future course of action. Further, Dr.Yoga Nagendhar also conducts a neonatal counseling with the parents once the child is born and informs them about the ideal timeline for the child to be operated and even informs them about pros and cons of delaying the surgery. This way, he not only facilitates easy decision making for the patients, but also makes prepares them mentally for the future.

“The child’s safety and comfort have always been my top priority. Thus, whenever a child brought to me for treatment, I try to go to his/her level and understand their concerns/expectation, as every child is different and behave differently as per their age. Also, I pay close attention to the anesthesia requirements and postoperative care of each child in order to maximize the outcomes of the surgical procedure. Most importantly, I strongly believe in the words of my professors – ‘A good surgeon is the one who knows when not to operate’. Hence, I always take the opinions of the parents and pediatric anesthetists and collectively take a decision on the kind of surgery that best suits a child”, Dr. Yoga Nagendhar further explains.

Owing to such industry-best practices and value driven approach to patient care, Dr. Yoga Nagendhar has been a member of numerous prestigious organizations and healthcare groups. The noteworthy ones among them are Association of Surgeons of India (ASI), Indian Medical Association (IMA), Indian Association of Paediatric Surgeons (IAPS), Member of the Pediatric Endoscopic Surgeons of India (PESI), and Fellow of the Academy of General Education (FAGE).

Advising youngsters aspiring to be future pediatric surgeons, Dr. Yoga Nagendhar , “Cultivate the mindset of continuous learning and try to garner knowledge from wherever possible. Also, have a mentor who can guide you, and make sure to mentally rehearse the surgical procedure well in advance, as this helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, always keep in mind that being a pediatric surgeon is never about earning fame or money; the happiness and satisfaction that you get seeing the child’s family happy post surgery is the ultimate reward!”