Dr Bhagwant Singh Ratta
Neonatal & Pediatric Urosurgeon
Having completed his MBBS from Karnataka University and MS in General Surgery from Bombay University, Dr Ratta started his career in Mumbai at Sir HN Hospital in General Surgery, Urology & Transplant, followed by a term in neurosurgery and then went on to do cardiac surgery at Sir JJ Hospital (Mumbai).
Later, he joined the Department of Pediatric Surgery at KEM Hospital and moved to Khoula Hospital in Muscat (Oman), where along with Richard Spicer, he setup the first Pediatric Surgery department. In between, Dr Ratta took a sabbatical year to work as General Surgeon in DarEs-Salaam (Tanzania). During his time in Muscat, the challenging years of high neonatal mortality rates, limited infrastructure, and emotional toll on families at KEM was transformed immediately due to access to modern surgical tools, advanced neonatal care and well-trained staff, reducing mortality rates and improved outcomes dramatically.
Expert Pediatric Surgeon in the Making
To further expand the echelons of his knowledge, Dr Ratta moved to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London where he gained extensive training in neonatal intensive care, advanced pediatric urology and minimally invasive techniques.
Post this, he also took-up trainings around Anorectal Malformations in Lyon (France), management of incontinence of urine & bowel in children in Tubingen (Germany), and minimally invasive surgery for children at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He returned to India in 1990 and set up the Pediatric Surgery department at Ruby Hall Clinic (Pune), with primary focus mostly on Pediatric Urology.
Introducing subspecialty Pediatric Urology also required advocacy, demonstrating to both peers and families the long-term renal and quality of life benefits. Under his aegis, the clinic has strongly cemented its position as one of the leading centers for neonatal and pediatric urosurgery in Western India today.
Dr Ratta offers treatment to a wide range of conditions that include complex congenital anomalies (obstruction of the kidney, ureter, bladder or urethra level), solid tumors, vesicoureteral reflux, ectopic kidney, duplex
kidney, cross fused ectopia, horseshoe kidney, ureteropelvic junction obstruction, bladder exstrophy, megaureter, and advanced reconstructive urological procedures for posterior urethral valves, exstrophy-epispadias complex, hydronephrosis, antenatal diagnosis of Hydronephrosis unilateral or bilateral, neurogenic bladder, robotic surgery for children with pelvic ureteric obstruction and vesico-uretericreflux.
For neonatal surgery, his expertise spans across congenital diaphragmatic hernia, tracheooesophageal atresia with or without fistula, intestinal atresia, abdominal wall defects, biliary atresia, neonatal tumors, hirschsprungs disease, anorectal malformations, TPN and ventilation.
“A great part of my successful career as a pediatric surgeon can be attributed to the close collaboration with neonatologists, pediatric anesthetists, PICU teams, and operating room nurses, along with numerous eminent personalities that I was fortunate to work with.
While surgeons such as Dr SK Bansali, Dr Vasant Sheth and Dr Rasik Patel instilled clean surgical techniques and good fastidious habits, eminent surgeons and innovators such as Philip Ransley, Patrick Duffy, Pat Malone, Dr HockLim Tan, Dr Alberto Pena, Edward Kiely, Roger Brereton and Cohen helped me master new and advanced surgical techniques pertaining to pediatric surgery and urology”, Dr Ratta further adds.
Patient-centric Care Delivery
Pioneering pediatric surgery and urology for four decades with limited NICU support and infection control hurdles taught Dr Ratta to anticipate complication, standardize surgical steps and focus on preoperative optimization & meticulous postoperative care. To ensure enhanced treatment outcomes, he formulates an individualized treatment plan for each child as per its age, weight, systemic stability and emotional well-being.
Additionally, he prioritizes preoperative stabilization, minimizing operative time and precision in handling delicate tissues of newborns, and always opts for minimally invasive options for toddlers and older children. Strongly believing that when a child need surgery, the parents need healing as much as the patient, Dr Ratta balances science and empathy by educating parents about the underlying root cause of the problem and clearly explaining every aspect of the treatment plan, thus instilling a sense of confidence among the parents.
Reminiscing a few memorable cases along his career, Dr Ratta elucidates, “A premature baby weighing just 1.8kg was born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, underdeveloped lungs and life-threatening respiratory distress. Through meticulous neonatal stabilization, timely surgery, and weeks of intensive care, we were able to help the child make a full recovery and is now a healthy teenager. Additionally, I was also part of the team that performed a 22-hour Siamese twin separation procedure along with Prof. Lewis Spitz at Great Ormond Street Hospital, which was an extremely rare and unheard of condition back then”.
Speckless Career Journey
Dr Ratta has been a member of numerous renowned organizations such as Urological Society of India, UK Children’s Cancer Study Group (European School of Pediatric Urology), Indian Association of Gastrointestinal & Endoscopic Surgeons (Endoscopic & Laparoscopic Surgeons of Asia), Indian Academy of Pediatrics, International College of Surgeons (Ind. Section) and IMA.
He has also received numerous recognitions such as Pediatric Urology Pioneer Award, Lifetime Contribution in Pediatric Surgery, and Chairmanship of Surgical Committees in International Pediatric Forums. Furthermore, Dr Ratta has contributed a chapter titled ‘Endourological Procedures in Paediatric’ to a video book named ‘Per-Urethral Endouro logical Operative Techniques’ (published in 1995).
However, Dr Ratta however believes that awards only recognize the past and his responsibility is towards shaping the future. Thus, going forward, he plans to make pediatric minimally invasive surgeries more accessible across tierII cities, contribute to the national registry for congenital anomalies, and support training in pediatric urology through hybrid workshops. Further, he is excited about the inroad of fetal surgery in India and is also working on new innovations around cutting-edge techniques such as AI based imaging and 3D printing for better surgical planning in the future.
For neonatal surgery, his expertise spans across congenital diaphragmatic hernia, tracheooesophageal atresia with or without fistula, intestinal atresia, abdominal wall defects, biliary atresia, neonatal tumors, hirschsprungs disease, anorectal malformations, TPN and ventilation.
“A great part of my successful career as a pediatric surgeon can be attributed to the close collaboration with neonatologists, pediatric anesthetists, PICU teams, and operating room nurses, along with numerous eminent personalities that I was fortunate to work with.
While surgeons such as Dr SK Bansali, Dr Vasant Sheth and Dr Rasik Patel instilled clean surgical techniques and good fastidious habits, eminent surgeons and innovators such as Philip Ransley, Patrick Duffy, Pat Malone, Dr HockLim Tan, Dr Alberto Pena, Edward Kiely, Roger Brereton and Cohen helped me master new and advanced surgical techniques pertaining to pediatric surgery and urology”, Dr Ratta further adds.
To ensure enhanced treatment outcomes, Dr Ratta formulates an individualized treatment plan for each child as per its age, weight, systemic stability and emotional well-being
Patient-centric Care Delivery
Pioneering pediatric surgery and urology for four decades with limited NICU support and infection control hurdles taught Dr Ratta to anticipate complication, standardize surgical steps and focus on preoperative optimization & meticulous postoperative care. To ensure enhanced treatment outcomes, he formulates an individualized treatment plan for each child as per its age, weight, systemic stability and emotional well-being.
Additionally, he prioritizes preoperative stabilization, minimizing operative time and precision in handling delicate tissues of newborns, and always opts for minimally invasive options for toddlers and older children. Strongly believing that when a child need surgery, the parents need healing as much as the patient, Dr Ratta balances science and empathy by educating parents about the underlying root cause of the problem and clearly explaining every aspect of the treatment plan, thus instilling a sense of confidence among the parents.
Reminiscing a few memorable cases along his career, Dr Ratta elucidates, “A premature baby weighing just 1.8kg was born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, underdeveloped lungs and life-threatening respiratory distress. Through meticulous neonatal stabilization, timely surgery, and weeks of intensive care, we were able to help the child make a full recovery and is now a healthy teenager. Additionally, I was also part of the team that performed a 22-hour Siamese twin separation procedure along with Prof. Lewis Spitz at Great Ormond Street Hospital, which was an extremely rare and unheard of condition back then”.
Speckless Career Journey
Dr Ratta has been a member of numerous renowned organizations such as Urological Society of India, UK Children’s Cancer Study Group (European School of Pediatric Urology), Indian Association of Gastrointestinal & Endoscopic Surgeons (Endoscopic & Laparoscopic Surgeons of Asia), Indian Academy of Pediatrics, International College of Surgeons (Ind. Section) and IMA.
He has also received numerous recognitions such as Pediatric Urology Pioneer Award, Lifetime Contribution in Pediatric Surgery, and Chairmanship of Surgical Committees in International Pediatric Forums. Furthermore, Dr Ratta has contributed a chapter titled ‘Endourological Procedures in Paediatric’ to a video book named ‘Per-Urethral Endouro logical Operative Techniques’ (published in 1995).
However, Dr Ratta however believes that awards only recognize the past and his responsibility is towards shaping the future. Thus, going forward, he plans to make pediatric minimally invasive surgeries more accessible across tierII cities, contribute to the national registry for congenital anomalies, and support training in pediatric urology through hybrid workshops. Further, he is excited about the inroad of fetal surgery in India and is also working on new innovations around cutting-edge techniques such as AI based imaging and 3D printing for better surgical planning in the future.
