Canadian patient skips queue, gets quicker hip surgery at Bahrain hospital
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Reported by Mahir Haneef
Long waiting times for essential yet non-emergency surgeries in the Western world are resulting in patients opting for hospitals in the Middle East that are able to provide treatment at the same quality at an affordable cost without any waiting time.
One such example was reported yesterday from King Hamad American Mission Hospital in A'ali, Bahrain, where a 68-year-old resident from Canada opted to have a hip replacement done by a team led by Orthopaedics and Trauma Consultant Dr. Gianluca Cusmá Guatteri, popularly referred to as Dr. Luca by patients and in the medical circles.
The woman, who was a former resident of Bahrain, had gone to the hospital in Toronto complaining of a painful hip and was found to be in need of a hip replacement. However, she was put on a waiting list for the procedure.
Canada provides free healthcare, but many non-emergency procedures require a long wait time. According to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the benchmark wait time for hip and knee replacement surgery in the country is six months, and for cataract surgery is 3.7 months.
When Dr. Luca examined the patient from Canada, it was found that her left hip was completely destroyed due to arthritis, resulting in no space between the bones and many bone spurs that were causing pain and severely limiting mobility.
A hip replacement surgery using minimally invasive techniques was done by Dr. Luca and team. This was followed up by implanting a new joint using ceramic material, resulting in the patient having a new pain-free hip that allows a great range of motion, including walking, and returning to normal activity, the medical team said.
It was the great care received at the American Mission Hospital (AMH) while living in Bahrain that prompted her to seek treatment from there again when faced with a huge waiting time back in Canada, the patient, along with her husband, said in a statement issued through the hospital.
“In the past, we were very satisfied customers of AMH. We were on the waiting list in Toronto, Canada, to receive a hip replacement, and when we heard of the new hospital, we considered the possibility of having the surgery here.
After a teleconsult, we were very impressed by the comprehensive information given on the procedure and costs. The care has been outstanding, and we wholeheartedly recommend overseas visitors considering care to take this option,” she stated.
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