The Society’s endeavor to reach out to the poor and down-trodden of the society and provide quality spine care is inspired by one of its pre-eminent members, Dr. Shekhar Bhojraj and his Spine Foundation. The Spine Foundation was established in the year 1998, by Dr. Bhojraj as a means of providing spine care to the needy. The foundation started rural spine care provision in the year 2003, in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. They have so far treated thousands of patients and successfully conducted hunderds of surgeries at Gadchiroli.

The BSS imbibes this very ethos of giving back to the society. It believes that the social work activities carried out by the members can help make a positive social impact. The members have carried out numerous activities in this regard. These activities include holding free spine camps and organizing free spine surgeries in the city.

Every year, as a part of the Bombay Operative Spine Course conducted by the BSS, almost 50 patients requiring spine surgeries undergo surgery, free of cost. These surgeries include complex procedures which are carried out using advanced, state-of-the-art-complex technologies at the disposal of the hospitals where the members are attached. This is a colossal effort where the entire society members, the pharmaceutical companies, implant companies, social work organizations and the hospital management come together to make it an annual success. The course has been organized every year since 2012, and close to 300 needy patients have benefitted from this endeavor on the society’s part. This is remains of the most academically awaited and fulfilling events, with regards to giving back to the community, on the Society’s calendar.

The social outreach is not limited to the city borders, in fact, it has spread beyond the state borders. The BSS has ensured a national social outreach by organizing Spine health camps in the tribal villages of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on numerous occasions since the inception of this pan-India idea in the year 2015. The villages in the districts of Shahdol, Burhar, Katni, Rajnandgaon and Pali in Madhya Pradesh and Bilaspur, Raipur and Raigarh in Chhattisgarh have all been witness to the enthusiastic efforts of the members. Tens of thousands of patients with various spinal disorders have been evaluated and treated for free in these camps. Hundreds of patients requiring surgery have been operated free of cost at local facilities with the help of social workers and organizations in the rural district medical centers of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The BSS has been actively involved in being a part of advisory committee and rendering professional services to Mega super-specialty camps organized annually in different states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. These mega super-specialty health camps are virtually, super-human efforts on part of the volunteers for service to mankind. With more than 50,000 patients benefitted annually in different camps, each of which lasts over 10 days, wherein more than 500 doctors of various specialties and sub-specialties provide their services, free of cost to all patients. In such camps, the medicines, consultation, surgery and diagnostics are provided to these patients. These Mega-Health camps are organized in conjunction with respective state governments, Rotary International and various other organizations. The BSS has taken a leadership role in such camps and every year a big contingent of spine surgeons of BSS, do their bit in providing medical care to the society.

Multiple other smaller free treatment camps have also been held at places like Sant Kabir Nagar (UP), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Darbanga (Bihar) etc. Besides holding these free camps, the members of the BSS have pledged to do at least one free surgery in their respective practices for the needy. As a result, hundreds of patients suffering from spinal disorders have been operated by BSS in various hospitals free of cost in last five years in Mumbai. This includes complex deformities, degenerative lumbar and cervical disorders, neoplasms and infections.

The BSS remains steadfast in its commitment to go beyond the call of their social responsibilities as spine surgeons and this will be carried over and numbers improved upon, by the next generation of the members, in the years to come.