Knee and hip replacement surgeries now free at GPHC

Having recognised the difficulty endured by patients to raise a $200,000 fee to get a knee and hip replacement surgery, the Georgetown Public Hospital has taken a decision to offer the service free of charge.

This disclosure was made by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GPHC, Robbie Rambarran on Thursday.

“That $200,000 was really a burden to many, especially the elders to get that $200,000 so that they can get the surgery and also that replacement joint had a life span and it needs revision and we have the system in place to accommodate the revision,” Rambarran told members of the media at a press conference.

According to the Mayo Clinic website, knee replacement surgery replaces parts of injured or worn-out knee joints; the surgery can help ease pain and make the knee work better.

Hip replacement surgeries are performed to remove the damaged sections of the hip joint, replacing them with parts usually constructed from metal, ceramic and very hard plastic.

The artificial joint (prosthesis) helps to reduce pain and improve function. Revisions, which is a second procedure, are required if the implants fail, so the old joint can be replaced with new ones.

According to Rambarran, the decision to offer the service free of cost was taken by the hospital’s board following a series of discussions.

“We came up with a proposal, took it to the board, had several discussions and the board has approved for us to now knee and hip replacement and revisions free of cost.

“We are offering a lot more specialised surgery and caring and treatment that far exceeds the cost for a knee or hip replacement but we don’t charge for them…So we decide that we will craft a way forward.”

There are currently about 30 people who are in need of knee or hip revisions.

And within the next two weeks, Rambarran announced that an all-woman 50-member team from A United States non-profit medical organisation, Operation Walk, will be coming to Guyana.

It is projected that they will perform 60 knee replacement surgeries.