Germany medical officers in conjunction with St. Francis Naggalama Hospital in Mukono district have funded an Arthroplasty and Trauma camp which has benefited over 35 patients. Dr. Jonathan Ssebugwawo, an orthopaedic surgeon in Naggalama Hospital says the camp ran between April 16-25.
At least 20 patients have had knee and hips replacements whereas 15 of them had normal bone surgeries which had developed complications following road and other accidents.
Apart from the team from Naggalama Hospital, the group of experts from Germany, the camp also got a boost from Prof. Isaac Kajja of Makerere University who is a specialist in hip and knee surgeries.
Arthroplasty is a surgical procedure which requires the restoration of a joint by either resurfacing the bones or replacing them with an artificial joint which is called prosthesis.
We have interviewed a number of beneficiaries who count themselves lucky to have been among the chosen few for this camp which, according to them, has given them not only a second chance but also a third chance to live a healthy life.
Among those is Nicole Namubiru, a student from Mubende district, she has lived with hip pain since 2000 and each day that passed, her condition kept on deteriorating.
- Prossy Kiberu is Namubiru’s mother, she says that her daughter who is also suffering from sickle cell had suffered immense pain and that they had moved around different hospitals spending millions of money without a permanent solution.
Jasper Odongkal (69) from Padel district said he fell in front of his door whereby he broke his hip and that he has been surviving on painkillers.
Mike Okudi of Magere in Gayaza, Wakiso district suffered a hip dislocation in 2020 when he got into an accident. From that date, he has had severe pain and the doctors advised him to do a hip replacement which was estimated between sh20-30m.
Scovia Picha, the wife of Okudi says her husband’s sickly situation almost cost them their marriage as the bread winner for the family could no longer fulfil the obligations.
Prof. Kajja says that a big number of Ugandans are suffering from knee and hips complications though it’s only those who are financially stable that can get the Arthropasty surgeries which are so expensive.
Kajja told Kyaggwe TV that Uganda has got experts like him who can do this kind of surgery, but they lack the machines and implants to be used to carry out these procedures.
“Imagine, for only the hips and knee replacements, each of the 20 patients, the Germans spent on them US$4000 (sh14,800,000), in total, it is US$80,000 (sh296,000,000),” he said.
Dr. Michlke Wolfgang from Germany said they do a lot of arthroplasty surgeries in Germany and that they had wanted to respond to the outcry in Uganda for the service.
Sr. Sabine Puchil, a theatre nurse from Germany said she had her study practice at Naggalama Hospital 10 years ago and that she had mobilized theatre equipment to boost the hospital theatre which is now up to standard.
Sr. Mary Ponsian, of the Little Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi whose headquarters are at Nkokonjeru said they conducted this camp as they prepare for the centenary celebrations of the Little Sisters who were found in Uganda by Mother Kevin Kearney.
Francis Bugembe, one of the hospital administrators said the 20 patients who did knee and hips surgeries were only asked to pay sh2m instead of sh20-25m which they would pay for ordinary arrangements whereas the 15 who had normal bone surgeries paid only sh300,000 instead of sh1.5m.