Dan, Heather, Jeremiah, Tory, Emma, Tye, Claire, Levi, Josie, Jane and Ethan

Friday, June 19, 2009

Joint Replacement Surgery in Rural Africa?









The vast majority of orthopedic surgery at Tenwek is related to trauma: motorcycles, Masai swords, pangas (machetes) and similar instruments of pain and suffering. Often, the patients that present with these injuries are very poor and unable to pay their hospital bills. Since coming to Tenwek, Heather and I have been praying for ideas to provide a means to subsidize the care for the poor and help the hospital financially. Joint replacement surgery has been at the top of the list, although this seemed like an incredibly far off possibility in rural Kenya. As in the US, many people suffer from knee and hip arthritis here. But joint replacements, while common in the US, are performed by only a handful of surgeons in Kenya, typically only in big cities like Nairobi, and fetch a high price.

Knee and hip replacements have been done at Tenwek by visiting joint replacement surgeons in the past, with components donated from the United States, thankfully, most recently just last month. However, with the new stringent rules set forth by the US Department of Justice for implant companies and surgeons, donated implants and supplies are becoming more and more difficult of obtain. So, since coming to Kenya, I have been looking for a local supply of implants for purchase (both trauma and joint replacement), in order to reduce our dependence on donated supplies from the US. Sovereignly, while at the Kenya Orthopedic Society Meeting in Eldoret last March, I was introduced to Rose, a Kenyan lady representing DePuy (a division of Johnson and Johnson), who distributes orthopedic implants in Kenya.

In short, last Monday, we performed the first total knee replacement at Tenwek with components obtained locally in Kenya! Our first patient, “John,” is a very enthusiastic and animated former English teacher who, aside from a little pain with urinating from a Foley attempt gone bad, did very well. I was thankful to have Keith Braun (a visiting orthopod from Mesa, AZ) here to share the moment, and he, at one point, said “Ernie Steury (the first physician at Tenwek) could never have imagined this.” And, next Monday, we have our first total HIP replacement scheduled with local components! We are amazed at the speed at which God has answered our prayers for the start of an ongoing total joint replacement program here at Tenwek as a mean to help subsidize care for the poor! And selfishly, I am excited because joint replacement surgery is what turned me on to orthopedics in the first place.

Please pray that God would continue to bless the orthopedic department at Tenwek, and that the joint replacement program would assist with the overall care of the poor, and viability of the hospital. Pray that our patients would have good outcomes and that God would be glorified through this new work, and that many would hear the good news as a result. Thank you for all your support!

Psalm 113:5-8 Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.

Psalm 140:12 I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

17 comments:

Billy S said...

Hey Galat Family!

This is Billy Spivey from the Church of Hope in Ocala, FL! I am praying for you guys and our church will be praying for you during our gathering on Sun, June 28th!

Praise God!
Billy

Hoekzema said...

Hey man, good looking knee. Nice cuts, good space, balance, "A" cement mantle...Berry couldn't have done better himself. Keep livin' the dream.

Nate

DePuy Pinnacle Lawyer said...

I admire people who give so much time to help others. I see my father in them. Amazing family for sacrificing their own comfort for the good of the people of Tenwek who hopes to provide implantation surgery among the less fortunate people of Tenwek.

Dr. S.V. Santpure M.S.(Ortho), Fellowship, Baltimore (USA) - Consultant orthopaedic surgeon said...

Good to have Joint Replacement Surgery in Rural Africa. Joint replacement surgery is a standard orthopaedic procedure acceptable all over the world. People affected by hip and knee disorders get to reap the benefits advanced healthcare and surgical procedure .

Hip Koint Replacement Surgery

hezelshaw said...

Nice to see this article. You make great effort by sharing such knowledgeable post. Keep it up!

cost of hip replacement surgery

vanaja said...

Nice comment For Best Orthopedic centre click on below link
Kadimi Hospital Gollagudem, Famous Hospital in Nalgonda, Best Orthopedic centre in Nalgonda, Gynecologist Doctor in Nalgonda , Doctors in Nalgonda, IVF Services in Nalgonda

boneandjoint said...

Great post, thank you for making your efforts to sharing this post with us. It is really helpful and if you want best joint replacement surgeon: Joint Replacement surgeon in Kalyan

Global Ortho said...

Thanks for sharing this! It is good to know that even people who’ve had hip surgeries can still do yoga, although it may be limited to some poses. I will suggest you one of the top leading Hips replacement Delhi center.

Global Ortho said...

This article is so helpful for me. And I also want to say thank you for this post. I want o say something more, About Global Ortho, is the top-class clinic for joint replacement surgery in Delhi. Trust me and visit once our knee & hip clinic for Dr. Anil Arora. In east Delhi, there is no one able to match the quality/level.

AltiusHospital said...

Knowledgeable blog post. Thanks for sharing keep it up good work.
Infertility Surgery Treatment in Bangalore | Cystoscopy Hospital in Bangalore| Laproscopic Uterus Removal Surgeries in Bangalore | Gynecologist in Bangalore

Rehan Chaudary said...

Nice post. I learn something more challenging on different blogs everyday. It will always be stimulating to read content from other writers and practice a little something from their store. I?d prefer to use some with the content on my blog whether you don?t mind. Natually I?ll give you a link on your web blog. Thanks for sharing.You can appoint best Joint Replacement Surgery In Pakistan from here and resolve your Problem's Solution.

Global Ortho said...

Thanks for sharing this information with us, We are here Best joint replacement surgeon Delhi, Guinness World Records holder in the field of Joint Replacement and Limca Book of Records holder in the field of PINLESS Computer Navigation Total joint replacement, is an internationally known figure in Orthopaedic and Joint Replacement. If you want to book an appointment, call us at +91-11-42141516 / 011-22378910.

Unknown said...

Really nice information thanks for sharing very useful. For more visit Fracture healing hospital in Gwalior.

Unknown said...

Great details here, better yet to discover out your blog which is fantastic. Nicely done!!! For more visit sports medicine in Gwalior

diseasesdata@gmail.com said...

thank you for a great post.
Gastroenterology

Tanu said...

Thanks for sharing nice information with us. We have gone through the whole article and get excellent information. Top hospital in delhi

Rahul Kumar said...

Thanks for sharing valuable Information.
Best Orthopaedic Clinic in Hyderabad