Our top ten New Zealanders: Askar Kukkady

Askar Kukkady

* Askar Kukkady, Paediatric Surgeon

Askar Kukkady worked from eight in the morning to dawn the next day painstakingly separating the spine, spinal nerve and organs of conjoined Waikato twins in a harrowing 22-hour operation. He led a team of 40 people, including other top surgeons, went home for a shower and shave and a quick nap, then was called back to Waikato Hospital to perform an emergency operation on another patient.

His dedication is representative of most of our nurses, doctors, surgeons and medical specialists.

But his operation on the twins was certainly one out of the bag. The surgery in October, never before performed in Australasia, went like clockwork and when the twins eventually went home they were smiling.

The surgery was carried out after months of careful planning. That included a dry run on two conjoined dolls a fortnight before the operation.

Indian-born Dr Kukkady has become something of a reluctant celebrity.

When he went back to India with his family for a holiday he found himself again in the spotlight, this time featuring in The Hindu under the headline "New Zealand's Dr Hero".

Dr Kukkady, who is often recognised when he is out and about, said that at shopping malls in New Zealand strangers walked up to him to shake his hand.