Nigerian Orthopaedic Association on Monday in Abuja carried out joint replacement surgeries for six indigent persons.
According to the body, the surgeries were part of the activities lined up for the 46th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the association billed for December 7.
Speaking on the medical outreach, the National President of the association, Dr Muhammad Salihu, said, “We gather for this AGM every year and we move from one part of the country to another. As part of the activities, we do have what is called an outreach programme, where we try to reach out to the poor and individuals who don’t have access to senior orthopaedic surgeons.
“These are surgeries that generally will cost a minimum of N5m and these are people who are finding it difficult to walk or jump as a result of pains in their knees.
“One of the surgeries is going on at the moment at the National Hospital Abuja and the second one is going on here at the Garki Hospital.
“We will continue this exercise tomorrow till the six selected patients have their brown new joints.
“Joint replacement is being done very well in quite a number of hospitals in this country, there is really no need for any Nigerians to travel abroad for total knee replacement.”
He further said that most members of the association’s tertiary medical centres in the country are offering such joint replacement surgeries.
Salihu assured that the materials being used for the surgeries are of good quality imported from the United Kingdom, Germany and other developed countries.
The surgeries, he said, would become cheap when Nigeria started producing all the materials used in the process.
Chief Medical Director, Garki Hospital, Dr Adamu Onu, commended the association for coming to the aid of the individuals who could not afford the amount charged as payment for surgeries.
He urged the government to put in place all necessary medical equipment to allow members of the association to effectively discharge their responsibilities.
(NAN)
