The Hindu Business Line : Cost-effective hip replacement surgery by Apollo Hospitals(Hyd)

WHEN Mr Robert Walter Beeney, 64, from the US, had to undergo hip replacement, he chose the advanced metal-on-metal surface replacement surgery, rather than the traditional procedure that involves more invasion.

Mr Beeney did some research to zero in on a country where he could get it done, as the procedure is not yet cleared by the health officials in the US and is being doing only on an experimental basis there.

He chose Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, signalling a "reversal of trend," as the hospital doctors described it.

Doctors world over now favour surface replacement surgery with an ASR (articular surface replacement) hip system as it ensures preservation of the femoral head.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr Beeney said he was up and about just in a week after the surgery. He was admitted to the hospital on January 27 and was discharged on February 2.

The biggest advantage is the cost factor. "It cost me just $6,600, against $24,000," he said.

Mr Beeney, the `medical specimen turned medical tourist', visited the Taj Mahal after the surgery. He plans to visit Jaipur and Delhi before he returns to the US.

The new metal-on-metal replacement procedure, which is just 12 years old, cuts down the wear factor significantly as opposed to the conventional system where polyethylene is used as the surface. It also increases the longevity of the system. Moreover, the larger size of the implanted ball greatly reduces the risk of dislocation.

Mr Beeney, however, would not get any reimbursement from his insurer, as the procedure is not cleared in the US.

"We are talking to insurers in the US and India to address this problem," Ms Sangitha Reddy, Executive Director of Apollo Hospitals, said.

She said India had proved that it could offer cost-effective and quality healthcare. Stating that the hospital had a huge inflow of patients from abroad, Ms Reddy said that 7 per cent of company's turnover came from this segment. "There is a seven-fold increase in this segment," she said.

These figures do not include the NRI patients.

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