Berhampur: Kanha Nayak is only six but the little kid had to undergo a major reconstructive surgery at MKCG Medical College and Hospital last Friday to get rid of his hirsute condition.

Patients with hirsute condition have excessive hairy growth on the body where hair is normally absent or minimal.

"Kanha, who studies in Class I, is suffering from giant congenital melanocytic nevi or congenital hairy nevi on his face, chest and right hand. The hairy portion covers about 30 per cent of his body and it is growing slowly. He was admitted to the MKCG on July 18," said plastic surgeon Raju Das.

"Hirsute poses a great challenge to reconstructive surgeons. As the size is big, all senior surgeons sat together and discussed the case. Earlier, many such operations have been successfully done here, but they were small in size. Cosmetic surgeons were involved in those surgeries. Most of the cases operated here are of the face as people ignore it if found on other parts of the body. All small size cases have been successfully operated upon here," said Das, who was part of the team that carried out the surgery on the kid from Kalingapadar village in the district's Jagannath Prasad block.

A team of 12 senior doctors, including the head of the department of plastic surgery, superintendent and dean of the MKCG Medical College and Hospital conducted the surgery on Kanha. It was the same team that had earlier conducted preliminary laser and skin grafting on Kanha.

"Life has become hell for us," said Kanha's father Ram Chandra Nayak. His mother Mamata said that during his childhood, the hairy growth was small in size, but now it was increasing gradually.

"We want him to get cured. Due to financial problems, we were unable to provide him the necessary treatment. We are thankful to the government for bearing the entire medical expense of Kanha," they said.

"Kanha has been admitted at the MKCG by the Ganjam district administration and we will bear all the expenses as per the instruction of the state government," said chief district medical officer Sadananda Mishra.