Open air surgery
By Subhash Bhardwaj

EVERY day at 7 a.m., patients start gathering at the open-air Rahat Open Surgery Clinic on the footsteps of the Jama Masjid in Delhi, where they are treated free of cost by Hakim Mohammad Ghayas.

Ghayas cures his patients with a ‘cut and cure treatment’ and operates with an ordinary razor blade. He binds the affected limb with cloth and then makes a few incisions on the veins of hands or feet. He then sprinkles water on the wounds and applies herbal antiseptic powder.

The clinic is nothing more than an uneven spread of concrete and sand. The Meena Bazar ventilators serve as footrests and the water from its tanks is used to wash the limbs of the patients. Even though it does not look hygienic, it is the last resort of patients who have spent a lot of money and time at various hospitals.

Patients come here from all over India and also from America, Europe, Gulf countries and other neighbouring countries with ailments such as arthritis, lumbago, gout, rheumatism, paralyses, polio and diabetes. Even heart patients and those suffering from blood cancer come here hoping for a miracle cure.

Ghayas does not check the blood groups of the patients. He claims that he can easily diagnose ailments by the colour of the blood.