Healthcare: Lagos to sponsor 400 patients’ free limb deformity surgeries

*The Lagos State Government says health programme often leads to improved mobility and health outcomes for the beneficiaries, and allows Lagos State to demonstrate its commitment developing human capital while ‘giving our children a good platform to achieve their dreams and aspirations’

Emmanuel Akosile | ConsumerConnect

The Lagos State Government (LASG) has said over 400 persons will benefit from the new phase of the state-sponsored Free Limb Deformity Corrective Surgery and Rehabilitative Programme.

The programme is an intervention targeted at rehabilitating people, especially children, with lower limb deformities such as rickets or Blount disease, and other lower limb deformities that affect their normal growth and function.

Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, made this known during his visit to the screening site for the latest batch of beneficiaries at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), in Ikeja, agency report said.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State

The Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Health disclosed that the current phase of the exercise has recorded over 400 potential beneficiaries, who would be screened over a period of two days, while appropriate medical examinations were conducted.

During the current phase, he noted, 80 children would benefit from corrective surgical intervention, just as others would be offered physiotherapy, nutrition and health education, as well as assistive mobility devices that would improve their health.

Ogboye also said that the results of their examination would be reviewed by a team of specialists and those that qualified for surgery would be booked for surgical intervention within the next 10 days.

He said: “The process involves a screening where surgeons examine patients and select those eligible to benefit from surgery and others that may benefit from assistive devices and other forms of physical rehabilitation.

“Those who pre-qualify for surgery will then go through a series of diagnostic investigations, including x-rays and blood tests to check for the form of the bone malformation, calcium levels and other basic parameters.”

Dr. Ogboye stated: “Patients are then offered surgery and kept overnight for observation. This is supervised by our team of orthopaedic surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, and other health professionals.

“After discharge, patients will come for follow-up visits at the clinic, and then also go through physiotherapy to ensure we get the best outcomes.”

He as well noted that many of the limb deformities could be corrected by surgery and rehabilitation, which in turn, would improve the health status of the beneficiaries and give a greater sense of self-worth.

The patients would have better chances for economic empowerment and financial independence, Ogboye stated.

He added: “This programme often leads to improved mobility and health outcomes for the beneficiaries, and allows us to demonstrate our commitment as a state, to develop our human capital and give our children a good platform to achieve their dreams and aspirations.”

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