Surgeons at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) will perform knee and hip joints replacement operations on regular basis from Sunday next.

This would benefit at least 300 elderly people who commonly suffer arthritis or painful friction between two bone surfaces, and travel abroad every month for hip or knee joint replacement surgeries at no less than Tk 4 lakh per surgery if performed in India.

An estimate shows that 5 to 10 percent of the population aged 50 years and above suffer from various degrees of arthritis, and most of whom require total hip and knee joint replacement surgeries.

Surgeons concerned including Dr Idris Ali, Dr Shamsuzzaman, Dr Iqbal and Dr Fazlur Rahman have already received extensive training on the complex surgeries and with the latest operating instruments from the UK they will perform the surgeries at the orthopaedic department of DMCH.

"My aim is to transfer the technology to our junior doctors who would be able to perform the surgeries at home at much cheaper rates and reduce dependence on foreign doctors," said Prof M Amjad Hossain, head of orthopaedic department.

In the knee joint replacement surgery, the bones of the knee are resurfaced with metal and plastic implants. The bones of the knee are realigned so that the weight that passes through the knee is equally distributed.

Similarly, in the total hip replacement surgery, the cartilage of the hip joint is replaced with a metal and plastic implant.

According to the surgeons, each implant for hip would cost Tk 60,000 while each knee implant would cost Tk 1,20,000.

No extra cost is involved except a few medicines and other accessories that are regularly required after the surgeries.

Patients who are interested in the surgeries are requested to register their names at Ward 24 in DMCH by this Sunday.