03-08-2025
'I had seven blockages, 60-90%': Roshan Abbas shares traumatic experience, urges to do routine check-up
Filmmaker, actor, former TV and radio host Roshan Abbas underwent a bypass surgery recently. He took to his LinkedIn account and shared his traumatic experience, urging people to do more routine check up.
Roshan shared that although his ECG looked 'normal', his troponin test and angiography revealed that he had seven blockages ranging from 60 to 90 per cent. He shared that he had no option but to opt for the surgery.
He wrote, 'On the 7th of July, I landed in the ER -BP at 190/110, mild chest pain, nothing dramatic. The ECG looked 'normal.' I was about to go home. But one troponin test and angiography later I had sobered up. I had seven blockages, 60-90%. No stenting possible. Surgery was non-negotiable.'
Roshan went to Bengaluru where he got his surgery done.
'What followed was a blur of hospitals, consultations, and wildly different 'packages.' 30 lakhs for a bypass with a man said to have 'golden hands'. 15-20 lakhs for a traditional open-heart surgery at a reputed private hospital with 3 months of recovery time. And finally, thanks to research, friends like Lancelot Pinto Syed Sultan Ahmed and some sheer luck: a robotic, minimally invasive bypass in Bengaluru.'
'I flew to Bangalore, met Adil Sadiq at Sakra World Hospital and had the surgery done for 11.5 lakhs. This was with me opting for a single suite. Including travel, hotel, and post-op care, my total cost was under 14.5 lakhs. And here's the kicker: I was walking in 2 days, out of ICU in 3 days, discharged in 5, and recovering in a hotel not a hospital bed by day 6. Thank you rowena asirvatham and team for the fab ICU care,' he shared.
The entrepreneur shared two key takeaways from this experience. He stressed on the importance of routine check-up, even if someone is 'fit'. Secondly, he said that one should never accept the first diagnosis as final.
'What I learned (and want you to take away): 1. Do that routine check-up. Even if you're 'fit,' even if you swim, do EMS, or have no major symptoms. 2. Never accept the first diagnosis as your only option. Seek second opinions. Ask uncomfortable questions. There are better, safer, and more humane alternatives if you're willing to look. I say this not as a patient, but as someone who's been through the system and saw how opaque, commercial, and fear-driven it can be.'
'I realized what you earn in life are friends and who stands by you forever is family. I have the best set. Not talkers but doers. The way they rallied around me was incredible. And also that karm is the most important thing.'
Roshan is known for films like Always Kabhi Kabhi, Palampur Express and more.
