Can cure Irrfan Khan’s tumour for free: Government doctor

Addressing the media here on Thursday, after having successfully treated a woman with a similar condition, Dr L Anand, Professor and Head of Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Pancreas Surgery said, “When I read about Khan’s condition, I was surprised that he was going abroad for the procedure. We have done more complex procedures here. Having said that, it is the individual’s choice.” 

The patient, 45-year-old Jamsath Begum from Chennai had been diagnosed with insulinoma (neuroendocrine tumour) at the hospital, after her earlier visits to other specialists failed to offer any relief. Upon her visit to the facility, she was diagnosed with the tumour in pancreas. 

Dr Anand said, “She had been suffering from giddiness, sweating and irregular heartbeat. She had also been treated by a neurologist who prescribed anti-epileptic drugs. When she arrived here with fainting attacks, her blood tests revealed low blood sugar and high insulin levels.” 

Last month, the woman underwent a whipple’s pancreaticoduodenectomy, a six-hour procedure to remove the head of the pancreas along with the tumour. The procedure was done for free under the CM’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme and she is well now, he said.