A Jain trust sponsored 280 operations for patients suffering from hemorrhoids to observe World Piles Day on Sunday. The marathon surgeries were conducted at YMT Medical College in Khargar. The group now plans to approach the Limca Book of Records and Guinness World Recordsto register thisfeat.

“We had originally planned to perform 400 operations in a day, but had to stop at 280,” said Dr Prince Surana,oneof theorganizers, adding that all the patients were doing well. The operations were conducted between 5.55am and 7.30pm in a specially constructed 4,000 sq ft operation theatre that could hold 10 doctors at a time.

Thetrust, ShreeTulsiMaha Pragya Foundation, decided to take up this cause in a bid to reduce the stigma attached to this embarrassing problem.Pilesor hemorrhoids are swollen or inflamed veins aroundthe anusor lower rectum that cause bleeding and pain. This affliction is believed to affect between 50% to 70% of the population.

“We decided to make the operations a record attempt in order to popularize the day,” said Dr Surana. The last such entry in the Limca Book of Records is of a Rajkot group that performed 137 operations in a day. “We have kept a record of the entire process and got it notarized and video documented, so that we can officially apply for the recordbooks.”