The Synapse Brain and Spine foundation is deeply indebted to the 'Helping hands, Poona' trust for their help and guidance. Ms Semine Patel has been especially helpful to us in our charity work and we request her to accept our thanks.
The human brain is made up of millions of nerve cells with a continuous electrical activity, even while we are asleep! It is an unbelievable natural computer with an ability to have original thought, emotions and sensations. It can create complex music, astonishing paintings and, on the other hand, is capable of supreme logic and mathematical theorizations.
The Spinal cord which was aptly called the 'busiest switch board ever created' by one of the pioneers in neurosciences, is an equally delicate organ.
The incidence of neurosurgical diseases is spread across the entire cross section of the society, including the affluent and poor alike; but their treatment is particularly poorly supported by charitable organizations. The reason for this could lie in the fact that common neurosurgical problems like brain tumours, strokes, brain hemorrhage, brain injuries, spinal tumours and compressive lesions etc. were not satisfactorily treatable till a couple of decades ago. Thus only those who could afford prolonged treatment expenses and physiotherapy, pursued and persevered.
Today, with the technological support and advancements in medical knowledge, many of these diseases have become eminently treatable. It won't be an exaggeration if we say that this century belongs to the Nervous System. To achieve the best results in such delicate surgeries, patients need to get operated in the best of the operation theatres, equipped with the most modern gadgets and technology.
This raises the cost of the surgery and the common man is pushed further away from good neurosurgical care.
Unfortunately in India, charitable neurosurgical work is scarce; because this would usually mean severe compromise with the quality of the operative and post-operative environment. It is equated with ill- equipped government hospitals and uninterested medical attention with lack of interest in care. It is time that this cause is taken up by NGOs with the most earnest of intentions.
Traditionally, society would like to contribute to patients having gut-wrenching and emotionally appealing, palpable problems like cancer, heart surgery, AIDS and paediatric blood cancer. Whereas the fact remains that any economically-deprived person with a complex brain tumour or severe sciatica is also an indispensable member of his/her family and may be the only bread winner. He/she deserves equal help, if not more.
It is to address this problem and to enhance neurosurgical research that this foundation has come into being.
It is also an important objective of this foundation that the common man is educated in the basic symptomatology of neurological diseases to equip and to save himself from quacks.
The Synapse Brain and Spine Foundation is deeply indebted to the Helping Hands, Poona trust and Neurochirurgische Hilfe Indien foundations for their Help and guidance.
Ms Semine Patel has been especially helpful to us in our charity work and we request her to accept our thanks.
