Governor of Cross River State, Prof Ben Ayade, has tasked orthopaedic surgeons in the country to devise local solutions to addressing bones and joint problems suffered by patients.
Ayade gave the charge while speaking in Calabar at the 44th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Orthopedic Association, which was themed ‘The Burden of Geriatric Trauma’.
He stated that the theme of the conference could not have been more apt, saying, “As orthopaedic surgeons, you are the greatest nightmare of the public. The sight of an orthopaedic surgeon brings sanity to your life, because the trauma that comes with it, is an absolute nightmare.”
Ayade decried the pains caused by orthopaedic treatments and asked, “What have you orthopaedic surgeons done to see how you can devise a solution for this trauma? No treatment, unless it is half treated, could come with pains. Since it is a scientific conference, l will rather leave you with these challenges.
“First, is there any way we can snap off the pain by somehow sending a code that can put the sensory nerves into absolute control so that the pain can be under control in the process of surgery?
“Is there a scientific possibility that we can reverse the lack of minerals in the bones? Is there a possibility to sustain muscular functions with age? It is a scientific conference. Because it is scientific, it is supposed to be research-oriented and the discussions are supposed to be apt.
“So, why will you, as orthopaedic surgeons, limit yourselves to the current practices? After all, it is calcium and phosphate. You can also get proteins, which are major properties held together by calcium and phosphate, to sustain the bones at optimal performance even at old age. Orthopaedic challenge is global but the solution has to be local because lifestyle is different, as our food is local.”
Ayade, who promised to engage some orthopaedic surgeons to man the orthopaedic unit of the Cross River-German Specialist Hospital, Obudu, challenged the conference to come out with a specific international statement that challenges orthodox beliefs.
“So I look forward to a Calabar Declaration that would scientifically question most of the previously held belief systems of medicine and orthopaedic trauma in particular,” he stated.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Orthopaedic Association, Zone 3, Dr Cosmas Ihezie, thanked the Governor for his support for the conference to be hosted in Calabar and for the provision of an 18-seater bus to the local Nigerian Medical Association.
