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East and Central African Journal of Surgery
Association of Surgeons of East Africa and College of Surgeons of East Central and Southern Africa
ISSN: 1024-297X EISSN: 1024-297X
Vol. 18, No. 1, 2013, pp. 3-9
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Bioline Code: js13001
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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East and Central African Journal of Surgery, Vol. 18, No. 1, 2013, pp. 3-9
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Referrals of Ethiopian Orthopedic Patients for Treatment Abroad.
Bezabih, B. & Wamisho, B.L.
Abstract
Background:
Referral for treatment abroad has both advantages and disadvantages that
need careful balancing at an individual and at a national level. Advances in medical tourism
have made referrals easier and currently patient flow is in both directions between
developing and developed countries. Training & equipping local surgeons to perform
advanced procedures would stop “unnecessary” referrals from developing countries-there by
also saving the hard currency which is already compromised. In fact, such a set up in a
developing country could be able to receive patients from abroad and generate a foreign
currency. The setting for this study was at Addis Ababa University, Faculty of medicine,
department of Orthopedics.
Methods:
We reviewed the copies of all orthopedic referral papers from the country’s largest
tertiary/ teaching Hospital in the whole year 2008.
Results:
Only from our department, a total of 115 orthopedic patients were referred for
treatment abroad. Most patients were young males from Addis Ababa-the capital. The
commonest single diagnosis was osteoarthritis, followed by ACL tear. The top three
procedures for which the patients were referred are total hip replacement, ACL reconstruction
and total knee replacement. Inter-consultant variation in number of referrals offered was
observed. There was no seasonal difference. Over the last five years, we observed an
alarmingly increasing trend in the number of abroad referrals.
Conclusion:
Total joint replacement and Arthroscopy surgeries are the main reasons to seek
for treatment abroad. Sharp and steady increase in number of referrals abroad is observed in
the last five years. Different ways to operate these patients inside Ethiopia should be sought.
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© Copyright 2013 - East and Central African Journal of Surgery
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