Chris Kiwawulo
14 October 2008
Kampala — THE small number of orthopedic surgeons in the country has caused a huge workload to the practitioners, a senior consultant at Mulago Hospital has said.
Dr. Edward Naddumba, an orthopedic surgeon, said the number of patients who need surgery was on the rise, yet orthopedic surgeons were few.
Orthopedic surgeons address most muscle and skeletal injuries that require surgery. For every orthopedic surgeon, there are 1.5 million people, Naddumba said.
There are about 20 orthopedic surgeons in the whole country, he added. "This is a big challenge to our work. In other developed countries, each orthopedic surgeon caters for 50,000 people. We hope to achieve this in 2030," Naddumba stated.
Naddumba was addressing journalists at Mulago Hospital on Monday. The briefing was a prelude to the orthopedic conference slated for October 24 at Hotel Africana in Kampala.
The conference, whose theme is 'Arthroplasty in Uganda', will be preceded by training in professional development for orthopedic surgeons and other health workers, Dr. Isaac Kajja, a lecturer at Makerere Medical School, said.
The orthopedic surgeons will also demonstrate how hips and knees are replaced. The conference will be followed by hip-and-knee replacements for several patients at Mulago on October 25 and 26.
Johnson & Johnson, a US-based pharmaceutical company, is sponsoring the conference. The company is also sponsoring part of the operations under the coordination of Phillips Pharmaceutical Uganda Limited.
Cemented hip-and-knee implants are done at the hospital at between sh2.5m and sh7m. "This, in addition to hospital and surgery fees is just a quarter of the money one would spend on the same operation abroad," Kajja said.
On average, the orthopedic department receives about 10 people with major injuries due to accidents per day. Dr. Tito Beyeza, the head of Mulago's orthopedic department, said seven of these were either a result or related to bodaboda accidents.
The medics called for more sponsors to enable them organise such conferences regularly to inform the public about the orthopedic services available in the country.
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