New knee replacement technique at Margao hospital
PANAJI
A new technology in knee replacement is being promoted by a Margao-based hospital, Orthopaedic Hospital for Surgery and aims to target foreigners as medical tourism for the State.
Speaking to media persons presenting the new Cruciate Retaining Knee replacement technique, Chinmay Kantak, CEO at the hospital said medical tourism had the benefit of adding to local tourism, and urged the government to tie up with local non-corporate hospitals to promote it.
“If the government engages specialized hospitals that do quality work at affordable rates to promote medical tourism, it can give a boost to the dwindling international tourist flow,” he said.
Kantak gave the instance of Roseline Onyechesi, a 62-year-old Nigerian suffering from severe arthritis pain of her knee joint. She took the decision to come to Goa to have the knee replacement procedure done.
Speaking for Roseline, her sister Judith spoke on the post operative and pain management procedures. She added that hospitals in US and Australia also provided the service but Goa proved to be the best in terms of costs.
The procedure was performed by joint replacement surgeon Dr Ameya Velingker and the patient was able to walk after eight hours of the surgery.
Velingker explained the procedure as being a bi-lateral (both sides) single sitting (one surgery) total knee replacement surgery using the cruciate retaining technique.
