29/12/2025
Dr Dilip reflects on the return to MAHAN plastic surgery Camp, in the rural tribal region of Melghat, Maharashtra, marking yet another deeply rewarding year of service.
Before the camp began, our team visited the Home for Aged and Handicapped, a missionary-run organisation in Nagpur. I was joined by our Australian colleagues—occupational therapist Anna Wishink, John Flynn Hospital RN Jess Pickup, and medical students/young graduates Sparsh Tiwari, Summer Young, Kat Kerr, and Julia Malone. Together, we addressed spastic limb deformities in children and young teenagers, fabricating 17 customised splints. This visit has been an integral part of our outreach work for over a decade.
From Nagpur, we travelled by road to Melghat, where we were joined by Dr Ravi Mahajani, Plastic Surgeon from Darwin, Australia. The camp was conducted from 20th to 24th December 2025 and marked our 17th camp in 19 years, with only the two COVID years interrupting our continuity.
Held under the auspices of MAHAN and expertly organised by Dr Ashish and Dr Kavita Satav, this year’s camp was notable not only for its scale but also for its complexity. A total of 131 surgeries were performed, with a higher proportion of major procedures than in most previous years. These included parotidectomies, thyroid goitre surgeries, head and neck resections with neck dissections and reconstructions, as well as several challenging post-burn and post-traumatic contracture releases. Minor procedures included excision of cysts, lipomas, and other soft tissue lumps.
All surgeries were completed successfully, without any significant immediate post-operative complications. This outcome was made possible through exceptional teamwork and collaboration. Surgeons from the National Cancer Institute, Nagpur, anaesthetists, surgical trainees from Savangi Medical College, interns from Government Medical College Nagpur, and the entire MAHAN medical and allied staff worked tirelessly. The kitchen and support teams also played a crucial role, sustaining us through demanding days that often stretched to 14–18 hours.
We gratefully acknowledge the voluntary services of:
Dr Abhishek Vaidya�Dr Vijay Chandak�Dr Ravi Mahajani�Dr Nitin Borakhade�Dr Maya Bhalerao�Dr Sachin Pawaskar�Prof. Dr Vaishali Hohod�Dr Shrikanta Oak�Dr Sanjay Deotale�Dr Prashant Gahukar�Prof. Dr Sony�Dr Abhijeet Bharadwaj�Dr Agrawal�Dr Gode�Dr Aniket�Mr Sameer Palaskar & Mrs Manik�Mr & Mrs Avinash Satav�OT staff�Surgery residents, junior doctors, and interns
Our Australian team members—Jess, Anna, and students Julia, Summer, Kat, and Sparsh—worked with remarkable dedication and resilience, often in conditions very different from what they were accustomed to. Ravi and I thank them personally for their enthusiasm, perseverance, and generosity of spirit. We hope this experience was as enriching and stimulating for them as their contribution was invaluable to us.
Seventeen camps on, the work continues—driven by collaboration, commitment, and the belief that quality surgical care should reach even the most remote communities.
