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Sparsh Foundation Announces Free Joint Replacement Surgery For 100 Retired Teachers

Arthritis is a chronic disease of the bones observed by swelling and tenderness of the joints. People who are above 50 experiences osteoarthritis, a type of arthritis in which the bone tissues wears down causing pain and problems while walking. Joint Replacement Surgery (JRS) is the best way to ease the pain of patients suffering from arthritis. The surgery has a 99% success rate but the only constraint is the cost.

Free Joint Surgery For 100 Teachers

On 26th August, Monday, SPARSH Foundation launched their new program 'Guru Namana' program through which 100 retired teachers will be given free JRS, so that these ageing teachers, who are now in their second innings can live a pain-free life.

While speaking to press on the 9th Edition of Guru Namana, Dr Sharan Patil, Chairman and Founder of SPARSH hospital mentioned about their free joint replacement surgery program that is going to be launched across Karnataka's 6 cities. "Life is too beautiful to be punished by Arthritis," he said.

Free Joint Surgery For 100 Teachers

Retired teachers suffer nowadays because of financial issues and health-related problems. Therefore, this free joint replacement surgery will provide them with relief in their old age. He also mentioned about the process, cost, and timings for the surgery.

"We are conducting the Guru-Namana Program to thank the teachers, who are the backbone of our society," he said. "In India, teachers are underpaid and therefore, most of them are unable to afford high-end treatments such as joint replacements. Through our initiative, we want to pay tribute to these unsung heroes in our lives. It is our way of celebrating Teacher's Day."

What Is Free Joint Replacement Program?

Joint replacement surgery by SPARSH foundation focuses on providing a pain-free life to people at no cost. It is a sophisticated surgery in which people walk to the operation theatre, have the surgery and walk back to their home. The foundation also focuses on raising awareness about this chronic disease so that proper information will be conveyed to people for their good.

"For me, the biggest scientific inventions mean nothing unless it reaches the common man. Arthritis can cripple a person at an old age and joint replacement surgeries are being performed in other countries for over 40 years and yet in India, ordinary people do not have access to this treatment," he said

"Free Joint Replacement Program is one of the effective ways through which we can ensure that the teachers live an independent and pain-free life. This initiative will not only give them a new lease of life but will also provide future to the teachers, who play a significant role in building this country's future. Hopefully, this will become a movement and more and more hospitals and communities can take this up and help put more and more people," he said with a smile.

Points To Remember To Get Registered For Free Joint Replacement Program

  • Retired teachers from any parts of India with valid ID proofs and previous medical records can avail free screenings and become eligible for free joint replacement surgery by dialling 080-61222000 and registering their names for the screening test.
  • It is a protocol based selection to decide the eligibility of a patient for the surgery. Only after mandatory scanning and check-ups, the patient can avail of this free surgery.
  • If a patient qualifies for free JRS and comes for the same, free food will be provided to their relatives as well.
  • The free JRS will be executed without any discrimination based on the quality of the surgery or facility provided.

Date, Place, And Timing For Registration

Guru Namana is an event going to be conducted between 30th Aug to 5th Sep in Bengaluru and six other cities of Karnataka on the below-mentioned dates. The main purpose of this program is to provide 100 free joint replacement surgeries to retired teachers especially from the small towns and rural areas.

City in Karnataka Date (2019) Name of the Hospital Timing
Bangalore 30th Aug - 5th Sep SPARSH Hospital, 146 Infantry Road Opp.Police Commissioner's Office 10 AM - 2 PM
Hassan 29th Sug SPARSH Hospital, Bangalore - Mangalore Rd, Next To Bhanu Theatre 10 AM - 2 PM
Davanagere 5th Sep SPARSH SSIMS Hospital, Modi Compound, Near Gundi Circle, Davangere 9 AM - 2 PM
Gulbarga 13th Sep SPARSH Outpatient Service Center, No. 2852, Opposite District Hospital, Sedan Road, Karburgi 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Raichur 14th Sep SPARSH Information Center, Uma Hotel complex 9 AM - 2 PM
Bijapur 13th Sep SPARSH Information Center, ℅ Yashodhara Superspecility Hospital, Solapur Bypass Road 9 AM - 2 PM

How Much Does Knee Replacement Surgery Cost?

In Bangalore, the average rate for knee replacement surgery would cost around 2.5 lakhs (This estimate is for replacing one knee) and in other cities, it may cost around 1.5 - 1.75 lakhs. But, the Guru Namana program pledges to do this surgery completely free of cost.

When we asked Dr Patil about the time taken for the surgery, he said, "We do one knee replacement surgery and send patients home within 3 days. Before they go home, we make sure that they can walk can or go to the toilet on their own. After they are discharged from the hospital, they are advised to opt for physiotherapy sessions for a couple of weeks. In three weeks, they can walk without any support independently", said Dr Patil. "And the best part about this surgery is if a person does it at age 60, they don't have to worry about it till age 85."

What is Joint Replacement Surgery?

Joint replacement surgery (JRS), also known as Replacement arthroplasty is a kind of orthopaedic surgery recognised by the replacement of arthritic joint surfaces with a prosthesis. In simple words, it is a kind of surgery in which the damaged and painful joints are replaced by human-made body parts to improve the movement of the joints and to ease the pain caused due to their movement.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Arthritis comes under top 10 disabling diseases in the world. Another study conducted by TNS Arogya in 2007 mentioned that Osteoarthritis (OA) has overtaken hypertension as India's No. 1 ailment. Also, there are around 66 million people of 65+ age who are at higher risk of OA.

All the developed nations have advanced equipment to operate such surgeries but in India, it is limited. The main reason behind this is lack of awareness, fear of the surgery and affordability.

"Whenever people face pain in their joints, instead of going for a checkup, they usually end up with painkillers which are very dangerous as they may increase the risk of gastritis and kidney failure," he concluded.

Read more about: arthritis teachers day surgery cost