Heart Surgeon at Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon Helped Salesh Raman from Fiji ‘Keep on Playing Soccer’

Salesh Raman from Fiji sharing his experience about Heart Bypass Surgery

In June 2018, at the age of 42, Salesh Raman from Fiji began noticing that he felt pretty tired at the end of the day. He didn’t give it a good thought thinking that this was just a sign of getting older. He enjoyed his work and playing soccer, but he didn’t seem to have the same stamina he had once. And from time to time he experienced chest pain.

It wasn't until one day in August when he was on the construction site, the pain in chest got much worse but eased up when he finished. The next few days went as usual, but Raman began to realize that each time he tried doing something, even getting up from his desk after lunch, there was a pain in chest and knew he needed to see his doctor.

A shocking diagnosis

Worried about his health, Raman called his family doctor for an appointment. After some tests, his doctor revealed: “You have cardiac problem with major blockage.” His world turned upside down on hearing these words. “I couldn’t believe my ears. I had no symptoms other than chest pain,” he says. His wife, Sanjina – a strong-willed woman, was with him. For a while, she felt shattered but after gathering much courage, she asked about further treatment. The cardiologist in Fiji recommended heart bypass surgery. “I feel thankful the problem was found before getting worse”, she says.

Light at the End of the Tunnel  

Knowing that heart bypass surgery facility is not available in Fiji, Sanjina turned to the internet. While searching the hospital, she stumbled upon Vaidam’s page of the best heart surgery hospital in India. After discussing this option with her husband, she sent a query to Vaidam. Within 24 hours, the couple was asked to share medical reports. After a few emails from both sides, their appointment was fixed with one of the best heart surgeons in India - Dr. Murtaza Ahmed Chishti of Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon.

“Though all the arrangements were done, we were reluctant with our decision. We had seen a few Indian movies in which it was shown kidnapping was common in India. We had many negative thoughts in our mind about India”, said Raman. “To clear the air, my wife talked to Dr. Savin, our case manager, and shared this concern. This polite lady gave us a few Fijian patients contact number who visited India for treatment”, he added. After talking to patients and reading their stories on the website, the couple was a bit relaxed.

On 30^th Oct 2018, Raman, Sanjina and Jai Mala (Raman’s sister) came to India and were picked up from the airport by Vaidam’s executive. The trio along with Vaidam’s executive made their way to Artemis Hospital. As the appointment was fixed beforehand, so they didn’t wait for a long for their turn.

After meeting Dr. Chishti, it was confirmed that Raman has to undergo heart bypass surgery. The surgery was performed very next day and his stay in the hospital was for 7 days. In these 7 days, Sanjina and Jai Mala went back and forth to hospital from hotel to see if Raman is fine. Finally, he was discharged from the hospital with all good health.

Before flying back to Fiji, the trio visited Vaidam’s office and showed their affection by bringing cake.

Making a strong recovery

“I was able to walk a few steps on the 3rd day after my surgery. I count my blessings every day and I am thankful to have heart bypass surgery by Dr. Murtaza Ahmed Chishti. Our medical trip to India has cleared the misconceptions about India that we had in our mind”, said Raman. “My gratitude goes out to Vaidam and Dr. Chisti. I feel like my husband got the second lease on life”, words by Sanjina.