Guntur: Long queue forms for free knee surgeries

Guntur: There has been a good response for the free knee replacement surgery offered at the Government General Hospital (GGH) at Guntur.

As many as 185 people registered their names and another 40 patients opted for free knee replacement surgeries at the GGH but the government has sanctioned only Rs 65 lakh for the purpose.

The Centre has reduced the price of knee implants to help patients. The price of the cobalt chromium knee implant was reduced to Rs 54,720 from Rs 1.58 lakh, high flexibility implant to Rs 56,490 from Rs 1.80 lakh and titanium oxidized zirconium to Rs 76,600 from Rs 2.5 lakh.

The patients are seeking more funds for the GGH for free knee replacement surgery in view of the revised prices.

GGH was the first government hospital to start knee replacement surgeries. Minister K Srinivas underwent knee replacement at the hospital on January 22, 2016. He expressed satisfaction with the basic amenities and asked the government to start free knee replacement surgeries at the GGH where free heart surgeries are already being done.

It took about 18 months after he announced free knee implant surgeries before the government released Rs 65 lakh for the purpose recently.

Patients M. Subba Rao and P Suresh at the GGH said the Centre had capped the prices of implants and sought sanction of more funds to help the needy people.

Patients G. Surendra, N. Lakshmi and others said that the GGH millennium block was like a corporate hospital where all types of surgeries can be performed. They said that in the backdrop of the Centre reducing knee implant prices, a separate section should be started for knee treatment. This unit should perform the surgeries on a “no profit-no loss” basis to help the less fortunate sections of society. 

GGH superintendent Dr D.S. Raju Naidu said that 100 quality implants of Smith & Nephew Company were purchased for the money sanctioned by the government. He said that 180 patients had registered their names in the GGH for knee surgeries and recently another 40 patients came to GGH for knee transplant surgeries. He said that GGH would take the issue to notice of the government. 

Price cap helps free surgeries 
Famous joint replacement surgeon Dr B. Narender Reddy welcomed the decision of  the Union government to reduce cost of knee implants saying that this would help  poor and middle classes.

Addressing a press meet at Guntur on Friday, the surgeon thanked Prime Minister  Narendra Modi for the decision. He said that under the primary package, the implant  replacement for a knee cost was Rs 1.6 lakh that would now cost Rs 1.35 lakh.

According to him, Rs 2.5 lakh was the cost of oxinium implant replacement surgery  and it would now fall to Rs 1.80 lakh.

He said that the reduction in prices of implants varied between Rs 25,000 and Rs 1 lakh depending on the material and the manufacturer.

Dr Narender Reddy was instrumental in starting free knee replacement surgeries at the Government General Hospital at Guntur. He had donated implants to the hospital and performed free knee replacement surgeries.

The doctor said that the price reduction would help patients who are not eligible for  free knee replacement scheme at the GGH.

He said that he was offering knee  replacement surgeries for reduced prices according to the orders of the government in his private hospital and asked needy public to make good use of the opportunity.