Dr Mohammed Salihu, Medical Director, National Orthopaedic Hospital (NOH), Dala-Kano, says the hospital conducted between 40 and 50 joint replacement surgeries monthly.
Salihu said in Abuja that Nigerians should not travel abroad for the surgery again as competent surgeons working in the orthopaedic hospitals could handle it well.
According to him, largest concentration of joint replacement is done at National Orthopaedic hospitals at Dala in Kano, Igbobi Lagos, and Enugu.
“So; we urge Nigerians to check what we are doing, discuss with some of the patients who have gotten lot of succour as far as joint replacement is concerned in Nigeria.
“Our price is far below what Nigerians are going to pay when they go to India, Egypt and the rest of them.
“All we ask from Nigerians is that they should just give us the air ticket. The air ticket to go to India or anywhere is just enough for us to give a very good joint replacement.
“What we must also tell Nigerians is that; quite a number of Nigerians who go abroad may develop some complications when they get back, they come back to us.
‘Before; we were not interested in accepting them but now, we have opened our doors to those with complications when they come back from India, Egypt and the rest of it.
“They should come back, we will resolve the problems for them,’’ he said.
The medical director noted that some of the joint replacement surgery conducted abroad were not done properly and they get dislocated when they returned home.
He said they would eventually come back to us for the surgery so I have examples to those that came back to us.
“I want to appeal to Nigerians to have trust in the Nigerian doctors; Nigerian doctors are well trained, and are ready to give the best to Nigerians.
“Sometimes; when they go abroad, they meet Nigerians doctors there too, so why do not patronise our own in our country, ’’ he said.
Salihu also advised Nigerians not to go abroad for spine surgery, saying: “there are centres in this country today that are using the best of equipment available for spine surgery.
“Some of these equipment are now available in this country in Lagos, Kano and Enugu. I appeal to Nigerians as far as the back surgery is concerned, they should check what we have’’.
According to him, there is no discipline that has been transformed to move as close as possible to European standard like orthopaedic and trauma practice in Nigeria.
“The Orthopaedic practice today in Nigeria is comparable very well to whatever happens in Egypt or South Africa.
“South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt are the three leading countries today in Africa in Orthopaedic practice.
“Whatever practice that is going on in Egypt today in terms of care for orthopaedic, most of the care can also be giving today in Nigeria.
“Whether in public sector or private sector, unfortunately, most Nigerians are not aware of this.
The surgeon said that most Nigerians were not aware of the capability of the Nigeria orthopaedic surgeons, saying “ that is why a lot of people troop abroad to visit some of these countries.
“The surgeons that receive them over there usually get back to us to say that they have some Nigerian patients.
“So, I will like to use this opportunity to specifically tell Nigerians that most of the treatments they go to Egypt, India or South Africa to receive are actually available in this country’’.
NOHD is one the Federal Government oldest tertiary health institution established in 1959 to cater for people with orthopaedic and trauma problems
