Sudbury physicians have been helping to make things easier for a lot of people in Central America who needed hip and knee replacement surgeries.
Dr. Kevan Saidi, an orthopaedic adult reconstruction specialist at Health Sciences North (HSN), was one of dozens of Canadian volunteers recently returned from a trip to Central America, part of Operation Walk Manitoba in November, said a news release from HSN.
The project is part of a larger volunteer medical service organization that aims to provide surgical treatments to patients in developing countries who have little or no access to care for arthritis or other debilitating bone and joint diseases.
Hip and knee replacement surgeries are considered the most effective orthopaedic surgeries available, transforming lives, reducing pain and returning patients to active, pain-free lives. However, because they are costly and complex, these surgeries are inaccessible to the vast majority of patients in developing countries, said the release.
More than 60 new hip and knee replacements were performed for people in Nicaragua, thanks to the work of Dr. Saidi and other surgeons from Montreal, Kingston and Winnipeg as part of a larger initiative involving health care professionals in Manitoba, said the release.
“One lady had severe rheumatoid arthritis and had been waiting for years for surgery,” Saidi said. “She had both hips done and was in her early 40s. After the surgery, she got up and started walking down the hallway and broke down crying.
“The team rushed over thinking she was in pain, but she said she was so happy because she hadn’t walked that far in 14 years. It was a very emotionally moving experience to see the kind of impact this had on people.”
This was Dr. Saidi’s second trip with Operation Walk and he’s already looking ahead to another one next year, said the release.
Other HSN medical staff have also travelled to support Operation Walk in the past including Dr. Eric Robinson (eight visits to Guatemala), Dr. Stan Tubin (three visits to Guatemala), Dr. Andrew Bodrogi (one visit to Nicaragua), and Dr. Tracy Henry (one visit Nicaragua), said HSN.
The complete list of 2024 mission team members was published online.