Twenty-five people living with sickle cell disease have undergone free hip replacement surgery at Mulago National Referral Hospital to treat osteonecrosis, a painful condition in which bone tissue dies due to reduced blood supply.The operations were conducted during a free surgical camp that ends today, Friday.Dr Philip Kasirye, head of the Sickle Cell Clinic at Mulago, told URN that bone complications affect between five and 10 per cent of the approximately 100 patients seen at the clinic daily. However, most cannot afford the surgery they need.Kasirye explained that during a sickle cell crisis, abnormally shaped red blood cells can block small blood vessels supplying blood to the bones. When the blood supply is interrupted, bone tissue begins to die, causing severe pain and difficulty walking or moving.The condition mainly affects the hip and shoulder joints. Kasirye said the hospital had spent the past 10 days performing free hip replacement surgeries after receiving a donation of the implants required for the procedures.Dr Alex Bangirana, a senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Mulago, said the camp had helped reduce the number of patients referred from the sickle cell clinic for assessment of bone complications.He explained that many patients cannot afford surgery, leaving doctors with few options beyond managing their pain and providing crutches to help them move.Bangirana said a hip replacement normally costs about Shs 25 million. Even when Mulago subsidises the procedure to about Shs 10 million, he said, very few patients can afford it.Mulago executive director Dr Rosemary Byanyima said the hospital has surgeons qualified to perform the operations but often lacks the implants and other supplies required.She explained that these items are not included among the products supplied by the National Medical Stores (NMS).Byanyima added that the hospital also faces funding constraints and inadequate infrastructure. The pressure is particularly acute at the sickle cell day care centre, where staff have had to add beds beyond the facility’s intended capacity to accommodate the growing number of patients.However, Dr Charles Ayume, the state minister for health in charge of primary health care, said the government planned to improve Mulago’s infrastructure to strengthen care for people living with sickle cell disease.Speaking on Tuesday afternoon while visiting patients recovering from surgery, Ayume said the government intended to bring more intensive care beds into use. He said this would help the hospital make full use of its 24-bed intensive care unit and improve care for sickle cell patients requiring admission.Meanwhile, figures from RareMark Foundation, the non-governmental organisation that registered beneficiaries for the surgical camp, show that more than 100 people signed up after the initiative was announced.Stephen Byamugisha, a co-founder of the organisation, said the high number of applicants reflected the burden of sickle cell complications and the difficulties patients face in accessing specialised treatment.He said initiatives such as the camp could improve the quality of life of people living with persistent pain and mobility problems.Byamugisha added that the camp was also intended to give student doctors and other health workers practical experience in managing complications associated with sickle cell disease.The post Sickle cell: Mulago performs 25 free hip replacement surgeries appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.