RAJAPALAYAM
A total hip replacement surgery was performed on a 24-year-old youth, N. Saravanan of Avarampatti, at Rajapalayam Taluk Government Hospital on Thursday.
“This is the first time that a taluk hospital in the State has performed such an advanced surgery, with a costlier implant for the patient,” Chief Medical Officer N. Babuji said.
Mr. Saravanan developed septic arthritis, an infection in the bone, on his right hip joint three years back, and found it difficult to walk.
“When he came to us last month, we decided to conduct a total hip replacement, though we had not done it before at taluk hospitals,” Dr. Babuji said. The surgery was planned under Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.
“Under the scheme, the patient was eligible only for a cheaper prosthesis that is normally used on aged patients. However, considering the young age of the patient, who needed to have artificial joints of longer life, we went for a costlier prosthesis. The additional cost for the prosthesis was borne by Rajapalayam MLA Thangapandian,” Dr. Babuji said.
A team of medical officers, led by Dr. Babuji, two orthopaedic surgeons, Murali and Jagan, and two anaesthetists, Mariappan and Rajesh Khanna, performed the surgery that lasted for three hours. The patient would be back on his feet within 10 days, he added.
Such an advanced surgery was possible at the taluk-level hospital only because of the availability of two sophisticated equipment – C-arm and digital X-ray machine. “The equipment, each costing ₹10 lakh, were donated by former chairman of Ramco Group Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha two years back,” the CMO said.
Since then, the taluk hospital had been performing hemiarthroplasty surgeries on aged patients of osteoporosis as well as road accident victims. “We have been doing at least four such surgeries every month, thanks to the C-arm and digital X-ray machine,” Dr. Babuji said.
The State Government had proposed to set up a full-fledged orthopaedic ward at the taluk hospital soon. Funds to the tune of ₹1.5 crore for a CT-scan had already been sanctioned. Besides, ₹1.20 crore would be spent to establish a 10-bedded trauma ward, he added.
