The tireless journey of a robust revolution – OSS

Operation Straight Spine (OSS) was conceived in 2002 by two spinal surgeons, Dr. Jeff McConnell & Dr. Ujjwal K Debnath, i.e. establishing a charitable mission project to provide spinal disease and deformity treatment for the poor and under served in India. While training together at the Centre for Spinal Studies and Surgery in Nottingham England, their passion for spinal surgery and the desire to donate their time and services to those less fortunate in the global community grew further.

In 2005, the first trip to India took place to conduct feasibility and needs study and establish local support. The aim was to create a recognized spinal correction service at an established charity hospital in India. The service would provide comprehensive medical and state-of-the-art surgical care to children and adults from socially deprived areas that would not otherwise have access or could not afford such treatment.

Jeffrey R. McConnell, MD, an Orthopedics spinal surgeon working at the Pennsylvania Spine & Scoliosis Institute, OAA Orthopedic Specialists, Allentown, PA, with over 35 years surgical experience. In the U.S., Dr. McConnell established the Spine Education and Research Foundation to help fund the project, solicited donors, recruited skilled team members, and arranged for donated supplies and equipment.

Dr. Ujjwal K. Debnath, MS (Ortho), FRCS, FRCS (Tr&Orth), DM (Orth) an Orthopedic surgeon who was working in Cardiff, Nottingham and London in UK (for 17years) returned to India in 2011 to continue with the ongoing project to serve the community in Eastern India. He has established OSS Trust to provide the ongoing Orthopaedic & Spine surgical and rehabilitation services.

After much planning and acquiring needed equipment and spinal instrumentation the first OSS mission trip was launched in 2006. This service provides comprehensive medical and state of the art surgical care to children and adults from socially deprived areas who do not otherwise have access or could not afford such expensive treatment.

Since then, each year a team of volunteers including surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, neuro-monitoring specialists and spinal equipment technicians travel to Kolkata, India to carry on the work of OSS. Operation Straight Spine had partnered with the Ramakrishna Mission Seva Prastisthan (RKMSP), a well-established charity hospital and orthopedic residency training center in Kolkata. The RKMSP provided us with the storage space, clinic facilities, operating theatres and support staff necessary to facilitate our mission work. OSS is the first-ever charitable project of its kind in India, consisting of outpatient clinics, major spine surgery interventions, wards rounds, and teaching seminars for local support staff, orthopedic residents and physicians.

Last year in 2020, IPGMER, Kolkata associated for conducting the 2 weeks annual project which was well recognized in the city of Kolkata by press and media.