P. S. Ramani

Premanand Shantaram Ramani (born Premananda Xantarama Sinai Ramanim; 30 November 1938) is an Indian neurosurgeon and writer, known for his work in Newcastle and his neurospinal surgery technique of "PLIF". He is currently the senior neurospinal surgeon at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai. An annual marathon, titled "Dr P S Ramani Goa Marathon", is held in his honour in Goa. It is .

Early life

Ramani was born on 30 November 1938 to Ahilyabai and Shantaram, a forest officer, in the village of Wadi Talaulim in Goa. He was the fifth of six siblings (three boys and three girls). The siblings were mainly brought up by their mother, as their father was often away due to the nature of his work. Since a young age, Ramani loved to read. He completed his ''Primeiro Grau'' () and ''Segundo Grau'' () in the Portuguese medium. Since the family belonged to the lower economic background, he would walk to and from his school, the English medium AJ de Almeida High School in Ponda, every day. He stood first in school and second in the state. He scored nearly a 100% in mathematics at the Secondary School Certificate examination of 1958. At the inter science examination of 1960, he secured a Distinction and won the Ambedkar Gold Medal. Following this, he was awarded a scholarship to Siddharth College, Bombay University. Identifying his talent, the headmaster granted him permission to use a special room in the library; only one other student, Test cricketer Ramakant Desai, was granted this privilege. Scoring excellent marks in Biology, Ramani decided to become a doctor and joined Topiwala National Medical College and B.Y.L. Nair Charitable Hospital, Mumbai, after being briefly convinced by its Dean, Mr. Monteiro, a Goan (Ramano had initially opted for KEM Hospital). There, he specialised in neurosurgery, after a fascination for the spine. After completing his MBBS in 1965, he completed his MS at Nair Hospital in 1968.

Career

Soon after completing his MS in Mumbai, Ramani refused an offer to become the Dean and moved to Malmö, Sweden, to study Intracranial pressure monitoring in 1972. Shortly after, he moved to Newcastle upon Tyne, England, to complete his advanced studies in neurosurgery, refusing an offer to become the Dean. There, he became known for his successful treatment of the citizens of Newcastle, where many people suffered from back and spinal issues due to coal mining. He thus completed his doctorate from the Newcastle University Medical School, specializing in neurosurgery, in 1973. He was appointed on the Specialty Board of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Despite his success in England, he decided to return to India.

In 1973–1974, Ramani was posted to Goa Medical College, where he again gained credit for his work. After a few months, he moved to Bombay, where he still resides.

In the medical fraternity, Ramani is known for his innovations and techniques in neurosurgery. One of these is his technique of disc removal, called the PLIF Ramani Technique. Devised in 1973, Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fission is a technique now used extensively to correct spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis.

Ramani later retired as the Professor and Head of the Department of Neurosurgery at LTM Medical College and Hospital, Bombay University (after completing more than two thousand brain operations per year), and as an Oncological Neuro-Spinal Surgeon at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. He has since been the president of the Association of Neuro-Spinal Surgeons of India and the former president of the Neuro-trauma Society of India.

Currently, he is a practising neurosurgeon, and the senior neurospinal surgeon at Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai. He was involved in the spinal surgery of Sarika, the ex-wife of award-winning actor and director Kamal Haasan, in 2001. He has even treated the Goan playwright, poet and politician Vishnu Wagh in 2016.
Some of his other patients include Baba Amte, C. R. Vyas and Ramdev Baba's brother.

Works

Textbooks

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Other works

* Ramani, P.S. 2022. Bhagwad Gita (in Marathi and English).
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Personal life

Daily life

Dr Ramani's daily routine begins by waking up at 4:30 a.m. and then meditating for 15 minutes. After a jog, he has breakfast and is ready to operate on patients by 8 a.m. at Lilavati Hospital. His consultancy then begins at 4 p.m. and goes on till 9:30 p.m. every day.

Family

Ramani is married to a sociologist, Pratima. They got married about a week before Ramani's move to Newcastle. Together, they have two children. Their elder son, Anoop, is a laparoscopic urological surgeon who works in cases involving cancer of the kidney and prostate. Ramani's younger daughter, Anjali, is a graduate of Sir J.J. School of Art and is currently working as a creative director. Till about 2006, Ramani lived in Parsi Colony, Mumbai, following which he moved to Mahim.

Philanthropy

With the intention of contributing to his village, Ramani demolished his ancestral house, which was built in 1926, and built a one one-storey building, equipped with a library of 10,000 books, rooms that have 2,000 toys, a children's play garden, and a hall large enough to accommodate 200 people. The premises are also equipped with a modern gymnasium. Ramani then offered all these facilities to the public, either for free or for a nominal fee. He even helped develop a sports complex on ''communidade'' land.

Ramani sponsors a cricket tournament and is actively involved in the Dr Ramani Goa Marathon, organized by the Ahilyabai Ramani Pratishtan, an organisation founded by him in his mother's memory. He even participates in it. People from around the world participate in this marathon. At the event, Ramani addresses youngsters to remain active and teaches them the importance of exercise, no matter the age. Ramani has also started a museum in Goa, containing his research work in Neuro Spinal Surgery, as well as his social work and published books.

Ramani published and launched his 75th book, ''Bhagwad Gita'' on 7 July 2022.

Awards and accolades

For his work in Newcastle, Dr Ramani was awarded the 1973 David Dickson Research Man of the Year award in England. He was the first Asian to win the Paul Bucy Award from the University of Chicago. In 2011, he was presented with a lifetime achievement award by the British Association of Spinal Surgeons, and Hungary issued a postage stamp to honour him. Soon after, a hospital in Cirebon, Indonesia named an operation theatre block after him. The people of his village, Wadi-Talaulim, named a village road after him. His birthday, 30 November, is celebrated as Neuro Spinal Day in India. In 2018, he was awarded the Walter Dandy Neurosurgical Society's Dandy Medal in United States. He was chosen for the Gomant Vibhushan Award and the Saraswat Ratna Award in 2019.

Dr Ramani was the Chief Guest at the Republic Day function of the Government of Goa on 26 January 2020. He was awarded the Life Time Achievement Award by the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies Spine Committee on 13 October 2021. In 2022, LTMG Hospital , popularly known as Sion Hospital, inaugurated an auditorium named after Ramani.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramani, P S
Living people
Indian neurosurgeons
Medical doctors from Goa
Medical doctors from Mumbai
1938 births
Alumni of Newcastle University