A groundbreaking partnership between The KM Foundation, Sri Guru Ram Das University of Health Sciences in Amritsar, and an Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) team from Imperial College Healthcare in London is set to transform the lives of thousands of patients in Punjab living with severe airway damage.
During a recent visit to Amritsar, Kumar Muthalagappan, entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of The KM Foundation, formally inaugurated a state-of-the-art surgical laser—funded alongside essential surgical instruments through a £150,000 grant from the Foundation. The laser marks the first major step towards establishing Punjab’s first dedicated Airway (Laryngology) Service.
Across the state, many patients suffer long-term airway damage caused by accidents, prolonged ventilation in intensive care, or infectious disease. These injuries often result in severe breathing, voice and swallowing difficulties, with many patients dependent on tracheostomy tubes.
The consequences are far-reaching—adult patients frequently lose their ability to work, children struggle to remain in education with, in some cases, entire families potentially facing financial and emotional strain.
Despite having a population of 30 million, there is currently no public airway reconstruction service in Punjab, forcing patients to travel long distances and fund costly private treatment elsewhere in India.
Sri Guru Ram Das University of Health Sciences—a charitable institution offering free or low-cost care—has committed to building a dedicated operating theatre for airway, voice and swallowing surgery, which will be completed before the end of 2025.
The new service will be supported by the leadership of Professor Guri Sandhu, a world-leading ENT surgeon from Imperial College London, whose multidisciplinary team will deliver regular teaching missions to Amritsar. A major clinical visit is planned for Easter 2026, during which specialists, including Consultant Speech and Language Therapist Professor Justin Roe, will provide hands-on surgical and practical skills training to local teams.
The initiative aims to equip the Amritsar clinicians with the knowledge and capability to run an independent, high-quality service within five years. It will also empower them to train doctors from across India, enabling the development of similar services nationwide and dramatically expanding access to airway care.
Professor Guri Sandhu said: “This initiative will bring essential medical skills to a region where no comparable service exists. With structured training and long-term collaboration, the knowledge gained here will be shared across India, enabling sustainable, life-changing care.”
Kumar Muthalagappan added: “The inauguration of this laser marks a major step forward. This new airway service will be a lifeline for countless families across Punjab. Its benefits will extend far beyond individual patients—improving livelihoods, restoring independence, and ultimately shaping better futures. We are proud to help launch a project with such far-reaching impact for India as a whole.”
