Joint Replacement in Tanzania

In June, I participated in an amazing trip to Arusha, Tanzania with a group of five female joint surgeons and 45 additional health care professionals including physician assistants, physical therapists, nurses, anesthesiologists, and medical doctors. Our group is called WOGO – Women Orthopaedist Global Outreach. In four days, we operated on 32 patients and replaced 44 severely arthritic knees. In addition we offered an educational seminar to local physicians and nurses and had Tanzanian orthopaedic residents scrub with us in the operating room. We traveled to an orphanage and to a rehab hospital for children recovering from surgery where we put shoes on children’s feet and smiles on their faces. This trip was the hardest thing I have ever done, but also the most rewarding.

Most patients in Tanzania cannot afford to have joint replacement surgery as they are responsible for the cost of the implants. The average yearly income is only $500, and sixty eight percent of the population is below the international poverty rate living on less than $1.25/day. Even for the upper class, joint replacements are often not financially feasible.

The Arusha Lutheran Medical Center (ALMC) is a 125 bed hospital with four operating rooms. Access to health care is often limited in Tanzania especially in rural areas; there is only 1 physician and 2 nurses for every 10,000 people. ALMC was clean but much of the equipment was old. For example, we used duck tape to secure one operating room table to the floor as its locking mechanism no longer worked. The lights frequently went out and it would take a few minutes before the generator would restore power.

On our first day, we saw over 54 patients in clinic who had been pre-screened for surgery. Most took anti-inflammatory medications, however very few had received other treatments such as physical therapy or injections. Most patients had very severe arthritis with fixed deformities. Later in the day, we presented each patient and their X-rays and determined if they were good candidates for surgery.

That afternoon we started doing knee replacements. We did three cases that evening and spent the next three days in the OR. It was an intense and often overwhelming first few days, with no opportunity to adjust to the seven hour time difference!

For anesthesia during surgery patients received both a femoral and spinal nerve block, and after surgery patients received only Tylenol and tramadol for pain. There were no narcotic pain medications such as Oxycodone or Percocet available, yet every patient got out of bed the day after surgery and walked in the hallway with our physical therapists. The hospital floor did not have an area large enough for physical therapy so our patients went outside to the large balcony for their therapy

Our nurses were helped by the local nurses at the hospital who were eager to learn from us. The staff was very helpful and our patients received excellent care. For example, if we needed labs drawn someone would come and draw the blood and bring the results back up to the floor within 15 minutes, much faster than in our hospitals here! There were no computers or electronic medical records so patient charts were on paper and X-rays on film. Patients’ families were very involved and often a small crowd would follow a patient as they walked in the hallway.

How will our patients do after surgery? We partner with hospitals where there are orthopedic surgeons who are supportive of WOGO and will provide follow up care as needed, and can contact us with any concerns.

Tanzania is beautiful but also very rural and very poor. Young children herd cattle and goats in the fields and on the side of the road, women walk with baskets on their heads and with children strapped to their backs. Everything is dusty and dirty and outside the city many roads are unpaved. Only 45% of homes have electricity. Conditions for women are particularly dire. Young girls are vulnerable to being kidnapped and sold as “house slaves”. Forty percent of women have been victims of physical violence and one in five women are married to a man with more than one wife. Women are responsible for all the housework, food preparation, and childcare.

One of the most moving experiences I had on this trip was visiting the Plaster House.   This is a home for children to rehabilitate after surgery. Many children in Tanzania have severe bone deformities; cleft palate, spina bifida, club feet, and cerebral palsy are also common. The Plaster House is a clean, safe place where children can recover for three to six months after surgery. The parents often do not visit during this time. The children are fed, cared for, and educated. For some, these may be the best living conditions they ever experience. We spent time coloring with these children and distributed shoes in partnership with Soles4Souls. These kids were so excited to have shoes. It is amazing how much joy I saw on those kids faces. It brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.

The following day we traveled almost 2 hours into the countryside to an orphanage and school. People from the village lined up for shoes. We set up soccer nets that we had brought along with our cargo of medical supplies as a gift for the children. I had the opportunity to walk to a small village where I saw both incredible poverty and beauty. The homes were smaller then my living room for as many as 10 people. There was no running water or electricity or toilets. Children were in tattered clothes and without shoes. The older kids were taking care of the younger ones; there were very few adults. However, when you looked around there was a wildness and a beauty to the countryside that is difficult to describe.

During the 10 days I was in Africa I met so many incredible people; my patients, my team members, and the many people who are doing so much good in such an impoverished country. At times the problems confronting a third world country seem overwhelming, but I do believe that you can make a difference one person at a time.

These trips are very expensive, yet do so much good. We will be planning our next one soon! Please consider donating to WOGO – 314 S. South Street, Mount Airy NC 27030