What’s a Mumbai doc doing on a Hungarian stamp?

Neuro-spinal surgeon Dr P S Ramani of Lilavati Hospital has 36 medical text books and a host of awards to his credit. On February 4 he got a stamp of approval from the Hungarian government that released a postal stamp in his name

What's a Mumbai doc doing on a Hungarian stamp?

Dr P S Ramani of Lilavati Hospital and the Hungarian stamp in
his name. Pic/ Santosh Nagekar

Among the medical fraternity, Dr Ramani is fondly called 'PLIF' Ramani. The acronym PLIF stands for Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fission, a pathbreaking technique in the field of spinal surgery devised by him in the year 1973. The technique is widely used today to correct Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis, a medical condition related to the lumbar spine. Dr Ramani has performed over 30,000 surgeries using this technique.

He has taught the technique to around 10,000 doctors across the globe. He has also conducted lectures and demonstrations in UK, USA, Russia, Japan and China. Six months ago he received the Paul Bucy Award in a ceremony organised in Bali, Indonesia.

Originally from Goa, Dr Ramani also has a road named after him in his hometown. He says about his latest trip to Hungary, "Apart from the seminars, operations and consultations, I enjoyed interacting with people there. Patients gifted me a special embroidered pillow cover."

In India, only people who have contributed to a particular field during their lifetime have a stamp in their name. Till date no living person has been given this honour in India. Recently, the Indian postal service issued stamps featuring six actors. Madhubala was one of them. Music director S D Burman and industralist Dhirubhai Ambani also have their own stamps.

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