The Nigerian Navy and the Arthroscopic and Sports Medicine Society of Nigeria have called on the federal government to upgrade specialist hospital facilities across the country to discourage knee injury medical tourism.
Speaking after an arthroscopic surgeons’ conference in Calabar, Cross River State, they said improved facilities will enable experts to deliver quality care and reduce overseas treatment for knee and orthopedic cases.
At the joint medical outreach that ended on Friday in Calabar, Acting Commander of Navy Reference Hospital Calabar, Surgeon Captain Jonathan Dunya, said the goal was to “stop knee surgery medical tourism” by discouraging patients with critical cases from travelling abroad.
He stressed that the outreach also aimed to “showcase the hospital’s capacity and facilitate knowledge transfer,” adding, “We are very privileged to have these experts here to help in knowledge transfer and to also help in recovery and improvement.”
Dunya said surgeons were flown in from different parts of the country for the one-day session, in line with the Navy’s mandate to support host communities.
He urged early medical intervention: “If they have issues regarding ligaments or fractures or whatever it is, they should not be scared. They should come to the reference hospital for proper medical check-up and possibly review.”
In his remarks, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at National Orthopaedic Hospital Lagos and President of the Arthroscopic and Sports Medicine Society, Dr. Ranti Babadola, backed the call for upgrades.
He described the event as part of the society’s annual workshops, saying, “Let me use this opportunity to help draw attention of government to create appropriate facility for the delivery of quality healthcare.”
Twelve Cross River residents, including Navy personnel, received free surgery for torn ligaments, meniscus injuries, and chronic knee pain during the outreach.
Conference Coordinator, Dr. Onyebuchi Osakwe of the University of Calabar Teaaching Hospital (UCTH), said most cases involved knee injuries common among athletes and active individuals.
“The commonest we do are injuries to the knee, which a lot of athletes and a lot of people playing have from routine twists and all that,” he said, adding that Calabar was deliberately chosen to host the society’s OGMR workshop this year.
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