Orthopaedic cases in villages overwhelm medics
Patients wait for doctors during the free medical camp at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital on Tuesday. PHOTO BY FELIX AINEBYOONA
What you need to know:
- According to a report released by Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital last month, only one orthopaedic surgeon serves every 720,000 Ugandans.
- The World Health Organisation recommends at least one orthopaedic surgeon for every 1,000 people.
Mbarara. Surgeons dealing in orthopaedics have called for more specialists in rural areas, citing the overwhelming number of patients who turned up at the ongoing free medical camp at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.
The camp, organised by Uganda Orthopedic Association registered more than 150 patients on Monday and by Tuesday the number had shot up to more than 250. The camp ends tomorrow.
“I am surprised by the number of patients we have registered on our first and second days. We thought we would not find patients here, but the numbers are very high which shows how people in rural areas need orthopaedic services,” Dr Kakyama Nsubuga, an orthopaedic surgeon from Mulago hospital, said.
Orthopaedics is a branch of medicine that deals with the disorders of muscular skeletal system such as the spine, joint, muscle and bones.
Patients travelled from Isingiro in Nakivale Refuge Settlement, Kabale, Kisoro, Kamwenge, Ibanda, Kasese, Mbarara, Lyantonde, Kiruhura and Bushenyi districts.
Dr Nsubuga said while in Kampala most of the patients are aged between 18 and 30 years, they have received patients who are aged 50 years at the camp.
Dr Rodney Mugarura, the secretary of Uganda Orthopaedic Association, said road traffic accidents have caused many fractures which explain the increasing demand for orthopedic specialists countrywide.
According to a report released by Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital last month, only one orthopaedic surgeon serves every 720,000 Ugandans. The World Health Organisation recommends at least one orthopaedic surgeon for every 1,000 people.
The report also cites insufficient records in the Health Management Information System on both national and regional burden of skeletal injuries which are fast becoming a common occurrence in Uganda mainly due to increase in road accidents.
Dr Mugarura said the surgical clinic and scientific conference for Mbarara University of Science and Technology students expected yesterday was aimed at raising awareness on muscular skeletal disorders and availability of orthopaedic services.
