Dr. Parameshwara C M in conversation with Business World Health Magazine “BW Health Care World”

A large number of Indians today lead unhealthy lifestyles which lead to problems such as colorectal and digestive diseases. Today 36% of Indians are suffering from colorectal and digestive diseases and nearly 1 in 2 people will suffer from a colorectal or digestive disease in their lifetime. Furthermore, 15% of Indians suffer from constipation while 10% to 12% of Indians suffer from fissures and haemorrhoids. The single most important reason why so many Indians suffer and will suffer from such diseases is that they have adopted unhealthy lifestyles.

Earlier general surgeons used to perform gastrointestinal surgery. For some reasons, society treated those who specialized in gastrointestinal surgery as very dirty and bad. Even among doctors practicing this speciality is a taboo and a social stigma. Doctors who performed such surgery would be bullied as “piles doctors”. For these reasons, not many postgraduates or young surgeons choose this specialty. Due to the absence of qualified gastrointestinal surgeons, the treatment of colorectal and digestive diseases had been in the hands of quacks. There are approximately 1.5 million quacks in India who treat colorectal disease.

Unfortunately, in India, people don’t reveal that they have a colorectal disease or digestive disease for the reason that such diseases carry with them a social stigma and are considered a taboo. Many in India also wrongly believe that such diseases are sexually transmitted or that they have been given by God. These are just a few reasons why people don’t like to share with others that they’re suffering from such diseases. Many of those who suffer from such diseases don’t like to share that they’re suffering until the pain becomes unbearable, and many don’t share that they are suffering in spite of the pain.

Many of those who can’t bear the pain of colorectal disease any longer seek out doctors. However, they don’t know where to go and often end up under the care of a quack. Quacks don’t know what to do because they don’t understand anatomy and haven’t read any books on modern medicine. Quacks treat colorectal disease by putting the hogs of oxen inside the anal canal of the patient. Such mischievous activities don’t cure colorectal disease rather they lead to further problems in the lives of patients. Many of those who have been treated by quacks have ended up taking their own lives.

Piles, fissure, and fistula lead to bleeding from the rectum and to blood in one’s stools. However, people who bleed from the rectum and have blood in their stool may actually have colon cancer and not piles, or fissure, or fistula. However, a quack cannot differentiate piles, fissure, and fistula from colon cancer and will treat colon cancer just as he or she would treat piles, fissure, and fistula. Hence quacks treat them using an ointment or an ayurvedic treatment. This is very dangerous because eventually colon cancer, which had been incorrectly diagnosed as piles by a quack, will spread to other parts of the body and may lead to death. This is why colon cancer is the only cancer in India that is most often diagnosed in its late stage. Nearly 78% of those diagnosed with colon cancer are diagnosed in the late stage of the cancer because those suffering from colon cancer seek out quacks before they go to a qualified doctor.

Only qualified doctors should be allowed to treat colorectal cancer for the reasons mentioned above. People who are suffering from a colorectal disease or who have blood in their stool must never resort to employing the services of a quack as doing so will likely worsen their condition. We have treated innumerable patients who suffered from colorectal disease. We decided to treat people who suffered from colorectal disease, as we understood the menace posed by quacks.

Across India there is a paucity of doctors who can treat colorectal disease. However, Smiles International Institute of Colo-proctology or SIICP is the world’s first integrated colorectal hospital. Our success rate in treating patients who suffer from colorectal disease is the finest in the country.

While people who are suffering from colorectal disease should never be treated by quacks, they should also be careful when selecting a doctor for treatment. In the past many who have been treated for colorectal disease by qualified surgeons have suffered due to the ineptitude of such surgeons. However, Smiles International Institute of Colo-proctology (SIICP) is revolutionising how colorectal treatments are performed in the country. SIICP was founded with a singular aim to end the suffering of millions of those who suffer from colorectal problems. Patients at SIICP are treated using state of the art technology by certified surgeons and medical practitioners. It is a world class centre of excellence in colo-proctology.

People who suffer from colorectal or digestive disease should understand that these are not sexually transmitted diseases nor are they a punishment from God. Very often those who suffer from colorectal disease have adopted unhealthy lifestyles and these are often the sole cause of such diseases. By overcoming the stigma associated with colorectal disease and by seeking help from a qualified doctor, patients have an excellent chance of living a happier and pain-free life.