GMC Handwara conducts first-ever spine surgery

Kupwara, Dec 3: Government Medical College Handwara has achieved a significant milestone by successfully performing its first spine surgery, signalling a major step forward in the institution’s surgical and clinical capacities.

An official statement said that a 50-year-old patient, Hajra Begum (MRD No. 8335), was admitted with severe lower back pain radiating to the right leg, accompanied by marked weakness in her ankle and foot. MRI results showed L3–L4 severe spinal canal stenosis with disc extrusion, with the canal diameter critically reduced to 1.6 mm.

Given the neurological deficits, the patient underwent an L3–L4 laminectomy with discectomy—the first laminectomy performed at Government Medical College Handwara. The procedure was carried out by Dr Ahsan Wani, Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, with essential intraoperative support from the Department of Anaesthesia.

Post-surgery, the patient is recovering well, has been mobilised, and is showing major improvement in neurological function, along with significant relief from pain.

The successful surgery underscores the strengthening surgical expertise at Government Medical College Handwara and highlights the institution’s growing role in providing advanced healthcare services to the people of north Kashmir.