Plastic Surgery in Camps in Rural India

Abstract

Shortage of plastic surgeons is well known in the developing countries, and this leads to denial of plastic surgery facilities to a very large population especially in the rural area. We report a retrospective review of our experience with 60 rural plastic surgery camps in Central India over 16 years. A total of 4317 patients were operated, and majority (~ 65%) of patients had cleft lip/palate and post-burn contractures. Results were satisfactory, and there were no major complications. Usefulness of such camps is obvious, and we wish to share lessons learnt during these camps.