Cardiac Surgeon who breaths life to dead hearts

Zahid Wani

Despite his unrenowned status and obscurity among the populace, Dr. Syed Asrar Qadri has left a permanent impression in the hearts of cardiac patients in the Kashmir valley.
An alumnus of ASCOMS and MS in General Surgery from SKIMS Srinagar, Dr. Asrar has worked under the guidance of Dr. A G Ahangar during his MCH program. Currently, he is the head of the Cardiac Surgery Department at Khyber hospital in Srinagar, where he devotes most of his time to perform difficult heart surgeries.
Furthermore, Dr Syed Asrar Qadri boasts six-year tenure as a Consultant Cardiac Surgery at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi which further strengthened his professional standing. The intricate surgical procedures of heart diseases he is capable of performing are a testament to his expertise.
The medical treatments for cardiac illnesses like CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting), AVR (Aortic Valve Regurgitation), MVR (Mitral Valve Replacement), DVR (Double Valve Replacement) and Bentall, which were once a fantasy to be conducted by any doctor, in any hospital of J&K are now successfully executed by Dr. Syed Asrar Qadri.
Dr. Asrar said that he has done some four hundred of these procedures so far and all patients have been recovered to good health and are functioning in their daily lives in a normal manner.
Dr. Asrar stated that he has always favored and provided his best to those with financial weakness and has also been associated with multiple NGOs who have given tangible aid from time to time to these people.
A patient named Gulzar, who underwent the Bentall surgery few months ago said that Dr. Syed Asrar is an amazingly god gifted doctor who has been sent to J&K to help the destitute and desperate patients to manage this lethal sickness.
He expressed that God had granted him a great grace for those who can't bear to go to Delhi or Chandigarh for treating heart ailments and eventually expire from heart contamination.
“One day, I suddenly felt short of breath at home and thereafter I was rushed to the near hospital where the specialist suggested that I ought to get counsel from a Cardiologist as it seemed like a heart issue,” said Gulzar.
“I travelled to one of the super specialty hospital and carried out some investigations including Echo which showed that I have a severe issue in my heart and must experience a surgical procedure to supplant part of the aorta and the aortic valve of the heart due to a swelling (aneurysm) in the aorta of my heart,” he narrated.
Gulzar said that after consulting with the doctors, they revealed to him that his survival from the operation was incredibly low, leading him to relinquish all hope for living. “I was engulfed in a state of disappointment and fear until somebody recommended that I should go to Khyber Hospital and meet Dr. Asrar there, which provided me with a glimmer of optimism,” he added.
He then underwent the notoriously complicated and lengthy Bentall procedure, and is now able to perform his everyday duties with ease. “I consider Dr. Asrar to be a savior, not only for the affluent, but also for those with limited financial status,” he added.
Another family from Kishtwar district, whose nine year old child also experienced the Bentall surgical procedure, said that they took their little girl to Chandigarh after she got diagnosed with several heart ailments where doctors said that the cost of this surgery would be out of their budget.
“We then heard of Dr. Asrar and came here and he performed the surgical procedure at a truly sensible cost and now our daughter is living her life easily without any issues. Not just myself yet additionally my future generations will be appreciative to him,” said the mother of the kid.
We feel very lucky that such surgeries are now available in our area and we no longer have to take our patients outside of the state for top-notch care. Patients recuperate faster and can start to do their regular activities soon after they are discharged from the hospital,” said one of the attendants of a patient.
Hilal Ahmad, an aide of Dr Syed Asrar, held that he had an especially intimate connection with patients, and some would only converse with him. He would come and stand near them, hold their hand, and inquire as to how they are doing. “We consider him to be a very inspiring, encouraging and forward-thinking doctor with a clear objective,” Hilal said.