‘Mama Samia Love’ initiative brings in 60 US specialist doctors

A group of 60 medical specialists from the US will land here on Saturday to undertake surgeries to patients risking disability from dislocated joints due to arthritis

It is the courtesy of ‘Mama Samia Love’, an initiative by President Samia Suluhu Hassan to provide medical treatment to people in the low income bracket.

The surgeries expected to last for a week will be undertaken at the Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC) in the heart of Arusha city.

The exercise, code-named ‘Operation Walk’, will be coordinated by the former cabinet minister, Lazaro Nyalandu.

“This will solidify Mama Samia’s love and sympathy for the low income people who cannot afford such treatment,” Mr Nyalandu told The Citizen.

According to him, at least 60 American doctors will carry out joint replacement surgeries for over 200 patients identified to be critically affected.

ALMC acting director Dr Goodwill Kivuyo said the doctors will undertake total hip and knee replacements deemed necessary for some patients. He said initial screening of people suffering from Arthritis in and around Arusha had established that the majority of them needed surgery.

Assessment of their condition was made by the hospital’s orthopaedic surgeons “and established that they needed such surgery”.

He added that after the arrival of the American doctors, all of them will be screened afresh before those who critically need surgery are operated on.

Dr Kivuyo, who is a general surgeon by profession, said Arthritis was more pronounced with people in advanced age; notably above 50 years.

The main symptoms of the disease, he explained, are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age.

The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis causes cartilage – the hard, slippery tissue that covers the end of bones where they form a joint while Rheumatoid arthritis is the disease in which the immune system attacks the joints.

Treatments vary depending on the types of arthritis. The main goals of the treatment against the disease is to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.

Dr Kivuyo said Arthritis was an emerging health concern in the country and that there were few hospitals where its patients were treated.

“We used to operate Arthritis patients in the past but suspended due to some challenges but we are now reverting back,” he told The Citizen.

Within the northern regions, the KCMC Hospital in Moshi used to undertake such surgeries but on a lower scale.

He added, however, that the church-owned hospital was prepared for the major surgeries under the ‘Mama Samia Love’ initiative from August 13th to 17th.

“We have set aside our surgical wards and consultations rooms for Arthritis operations for the period the American doctors will be here,” he said.