Hernia Surgery for Patients Across Punjab: Towns We Serve and How to Plan Your Visit

Last updated 2026-11-08 · Medically reviewed by Dr Raman Garg · Punjab, India

20+ years | 10,000+ laparoscopic surgeries | 1,000+ hernia repairs | Cashless insurance | OPD Mon to Sat 10 AM to 5 PM

A travel planner for hernia surgery near you

You may be searching for hernia surgery near me, a hernia doctor in your own town, or a hernia hospital within an hour or two. Be clear about one thing first. There is one hospital and one surgeon: Dr Raman Garg at Bombay Gastro & Cancer Institute (BGCI), Power House Road, Near Street No. 10, Bathinda, Punjab 151001, India. We do not run branches in other towns.

What we do offer is a plain answer to the question every family asks: is the trip worth it? This page shows how far Bathinda is from your town, how long the road takes, how to travel, and whether one day is enough. Many patients from the Malwa belt of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan decide that a short drive to a surgeon they trust is easier than a long wait in a crowded city hospital. Others are well served by a good surgeon close to home. Both choices are fine, and a WhatsApp message to +91 82641-60001 with your report helps you decide.

Distance and drive time table

Distances are approximate road kilometres from BGCI. Drive times are for a car in normal traffic. Winter fog, wheat and paddy season roads and road work can add time. Tap your town to read its own page.

For Ludhiana, Moga and Jalandhar we do not have separate pages. They are listed so you can judge the trip. If you are weighing a big city against Bathinda, read hernia surgery in Chandigarh or Bathinda and hernia surgery cost: big city vs Bathinda. The four border towns of Haryana and Rajasthan are also gathered on one page: hernia surgery near Sirsa, Dabwali, Hanumangarh and Sri Ganganagar.

How you get here: by road in your own car or a hired taxi, by bus from the main bus stand of your town, or by train to Bathinda Junction, a major railway junction. Check bus and train timings on the day you travel, because schedules change. Bathinda is a short ride from the station to BGCI by auto or taxi.

Towns grouped by region

Malwa belt, within 1 hour and 30 minutes

Talwandi Sabo (home of Damdama Sahib), Giddarbaha, Kotkapura, Mansa, Muktsar (Sri Muktsar Sahib), Malout, Faridkot and Barnala are all close. Most patients here come for OPD in the morning, finish tests the same day and go home by evening. A family member can drive them home within 24 hours of surgery.

Haryana and Rajasthan border towns

Sirsa and Dabwali in Haryana, and Hanumangarh and Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, send many patients, often farming families who prefer a Punjabi-speaking team. Dabwali is only about 55 km away. Read the dedicated border towns page.

Abohar and Fazilka farming belt, and Firozpur

Abohar, Fazilka and Firozpur are farm and orchard country. Hernias here are common among farmers and labourers who lift sacks and trolleys. An early start gets you to OPD by 10 AM, and a night in Bathinda around surgery makes the trip calm.

Patiala, Sangrur, Mohali, Zirakpur, Amritsar and Tarn Taran

These are further away, and families often come for a second opinion, a recurrent hernia or a complex repair, not for a small groin hernia. Patients in Patiala, Sangrur, Mohali, Zirakpur, Amritsar and Tarn Taran can start with the WhatsApp report review and decide after that. Tarn Taran Sahib and Amritsar families usually plan one night in Bathinda.

Why patients travel to Bathinda for hernia surgery

• Laparoscopic experience. Dr Raman Garg has 20+ years of experience, 10,000+ laparoscopic surgeries and 1,000+ laparoscopic hernia repairs. He is among the first surgeons in Bathinda to perform laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgery and complex hiatus hernia surgery. See laparoscopic hernia surgery.
• One surgeon from first visit to follow-up. The doctor who examines you is the doctor who operates and the doctor who checks the wound.
• Keyhole repair with skin glue. Three small cuts, no stitch-removal visit, walking within hours and home within 24 hours for most patients.
• Both sides through the same cuts. Find out more on bilateral hernia surgery.
• Follow-up by phone or video. Once your wound is checked, most questions can be handled from home.
• Complex and returning hernias. If a hernia has come back or is large, see recurrent hernia surgery and complex hernia surgery.

If you have a small hernia and a surgeon you trust in your own town, that may be all you need. If you are unsure, send us your report and ask.

Plan your visit, step by step

• Send your report on WhatsApp. Share your ultrasound, any CT report and two photos of the lump (standing and lying down) at +91 82641-60001.
• Get a reply. The team tells you whether a visit is needed, which extra tests help and which method is likely.
• Pick your OPD day. Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM. Choose a day when an adult can travel with you.
• Come for OPD. Dr Raman Garg examines you, reviews your reports and explains the options. Tests in our in-house laboratory and admission can be combined into one trip for a suitable case.
• Surgery day. Laparoscopic repair uses 3 small cuts and takes about 45 to 90 minutes for groin and umbilical hernias. Most patients walk within hours and go home within 24 hours.
• Go home and recover. Desk work in about 1 week, driving after 1 to 2 weeks, no heavy lifting for 4 to 6 weeks. Farm and labour work waits 8 to 12 weeks. See hernia surgery recovery.
• Follow up by phone or video.

The WhatsApp report-review service

You do not need to travel just to learn whether you need surgery. Send your ultrasound or CT report, plus two photos of the swelling, to +91 82641-60001. Mention your age, how long you have had the lump, any pain, other illnesses and the medicines you take. The team replies with the next step, and Dr Raman Garg reviews the case.

This is a first opinion, not a final diagnosis. A hernia is confirmed and planned only after examination. But it saves many people a wasted trip. Some are asked to come soon. Some are asked to watch and review. For NRI families, the same online pre-arrival consultation works from abroad. Read NRI patients. If you are not sure what you are feeling, start with hernia symptoms.

Hernia problems we treat for patients from every town

You can also browse all hernia types and the hernia surgery in Punjab overview.

Cost for patients from other towns

The operation fee is the same whichever town you come from. Typical Punjab costs in 2026 are Rs 30,000 to 65,000 for open inguinal repair on one side (average Rs 45,000) and Rs 50,000 to 1,10,000 for laparoscopic inguinal repair on one side (average Rs 75,000). An OPD consultation is Rs 500 to 1,000.

Note: These are typical Punjab costs for 2026. The final cost may vary after Dr Raman Garg examines you, depending on the hernia type, size, number of sides, mesh used and your health.

The full table for every hernia type is on hernia surgery cost in Punjab.

Cashless insurance, whichever town you live in

BGCI is empanelled with almost all major insurance companies and TPAs for cashless treatment, including Aditya Birla Health Insurance, Niva Bupa, Digit Insurance, Care Health Insurance, Vidal Health TPA, ICICI Lombard, Raksha TPA, Future Generali, SBI General Insurance, Oriental Insurance, Liberty General Insurance, IFFCO Tokio, Cholamandalam MS and Medi Assist TPA. The insurance desk arranges pre-authorisation. Send your insurer name and policy details with your report so approval can begin early. For an Ayushman Bharat card, call us with your card details and our insurance desk will tell you the same day how your card can be used. See hernia surgery insurance.

What to bring

• All scans and reports, with dates.
• Photo ID.
• Insurance card and policy number.
• A list of your medicines, especially blood thinners, sugar and blood-pressure tablets.
• Earlier surgery papers, if the hernia is on a scar.
• One adult who can stay with you.
• Loose, comfortable clothes.

Facilities at BGCI

A good hernia hospital should have a modern laparoscopic operation theatre, an in-house laboratory, an experienced surgeon for the full journey, round-the-clock emergency support and a team that handles insurance. BGCI covers all of these: a modern laparoscopic operation theatre, an advanced endoscopy and colonoscopy suite, a fully equipped in-house diagnostic laboratory, comfortable patient rooms, 24/7 emergency care support and a cashless insurance desk. See the hernia hospital in Punjab page.

Emergency plan: nearest emergency room first

If you have sudden severe pain at the hernia, a hard lump that will not go back, vomiting that does not stop, fever, redness over the lump or wound, or no gas or stool with a swollen belly, go to the nearest hospital emergency room in your own town at once. Then call +91 82641-60001, where emergency care support is available 24/7. Sunday OPD is emergency only. Do not spend hours on the road with a blocked hernia. See emergency hernia surgery.

About the surgeon

Dr Raman Garg is a Surgical Gastroenterologist and Laparoscopic Hernia Surgeon. He holds an MBBS from Government Medical College, Patiala, an MS in General Surgery from Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, and a DNB in Surgical Gastroenterology from Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai, with a fellowship in advanced laparoscopic surgery and training in Seoul, South Korea. He is registered with the Dubai Health Authority and is a member of IAGES and AMASI. He was the first surgical gastroenterologist in the Malwa belt of Punjab. Read the full profile on the Dr Raman Garg page and about the local base at hernia surgery in Bathinda.

How to book

Call or WhatsApp +91 82641-60001 (secondary +91 99885-03800), email bgcibathinda@gmail.com, or book an appointment. OPD is Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM. Address: Bombay Gastro & Cancer Institute (BGCI), Power House Road, Near Street No. 10, Bathinda, Punjab 151001, India. This page is general information; your plan is set after Dr Raman Garg examines you.

Medically reviewed by Dr Raman Garg. Last updated: 8 November 2026.