PUNE: Sancheti Hospital’s chief spine surgeon Dr Ketan Khurjekar and his car driver were killed after being hit by a luxury bus on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway near Gahunje on Sunday night. Two other doctors are injured.
According to Pimpri-Chinchwad police, the doctors were returning to Pune after attending a medical conference in Mumbai. Their car (Hyundai Xcent) was stopped on the roadside to change a punctured tyre. The driver was changing the tyre, while others were standing near the vehicle to help him. A private luxury bus came from behind and hit the car.
Police have identified the deceased driver as Dnyaneshwar Bhosale. The injured doctors Jayesh Pawar and Pramod Bhillare are undergoing treatment.
Dr Ketan Khurjekar was an academician par excellence, Clinician and Surgeon. Dr Khurjekar had performed more than 7500 Spine Surgeries which included Microscopic Spine surgeries, Cervical spine surgeries and Spinal deformity corrections. As a Clinician Dr Khurjekar traveled to multiple countries, seen patients in India and as well abroad. Very academically involved, Dr Khurjekar was invited on various academic National and International platforms to Speak about various subjects in Spine Surgery.
Dr Khurjekar also went as an Invited Scoliosis Surgeon to Muscat, Sultanat of Oman. He had started minimal invasive spine surgery at Sancheti Hospital which has given faster heeling and full activity of life to hundreds of patients. He had conducted workshops on Artificial disc replacement at Sancheti Hospital and had also performed Total Disc replacement Surgeries for patients of Neck pain and Cervical Disc Herniation.
Dr Chetan Pradhan, orthopedic from Sancheti hospital shared that Dr Ketan was a very helpful and bright doctor.
"It is a great loss to the orthopedic fraternity. We have lost a very bright doctor. He was a brilliant surgeon. He has helped many patients. We are all trying to coup up with his loss," said Pradhan.
Dr. Shailesh Hadgaonkar from Sancheti hospital noted that Dr Ketan was also a very good teacher.
"He was an expert in filed and taught many students as well. He was known for his work abroad as well as around Pune. He treated all patients equally. He consulted patients around Sangli and Kolhapur and other areas where many patients were not able to afford the treatment. He cared for everyone," said Dr Shailesh Hadgaonkar.
Dr Ketan is survived by his wife and two young daughters, his parents and a brother.