ADK conducts first shoulder replacement surgery in Maldives

ADK Hospital has successfully completed the first total shoulder replacement surgery in the Maldives.

The private hospital in Male’ City conducted the surgery on a 59-year-old Maldivian male with advance stage osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint on Thursday, May 12.

The surgery was led by visiting surgeon Professor Bancha Chernchujit and ADK’s Orthopedics Consultant Mohamed Mishwar Ashfaq, with assistance of rest of the hospital’s orthopedic team, anesthesia team, orthopedic OT team and nursing team.

ADK reports the patient is recovering well.

Speaking to press post-surgery on Sunday, the hospital’s team said that while shoulder replacement surgeries were rarer that knee replacement surgeries, patients with damage to the shoulder joint suffered greater pain.

ADK Hospital’s Managing Director Ahmed Afaal said the patient who underwent the shoulder replacement surgery had suffered from osteoarthritis for approximately 25 years.

He said that the surgery offered the patient greater relief to conduct daily affairs.

The team of doctors said that patients with osteoarthritis faced difficulties in daily life, including difficulty sleeping on the affected shoulder.

The doctors advised patients facing similar difficulties to get the surgery done.

The patient is already showing great signs of improvement, said the doctors.

The doctors said there were several causes for joint damage, including old age and other illnesses.

Joint damage has a severe impact on patients’ daily life.

Afaal said that several patients have expressed interest in getting shoulder replacement surgery done at the hospital, following the success of the first surgery.

ADK conducts the surgery for MVR 117,000.

The surgery isn’t currently covered under Aasandha, the state health insurance scheme. ADK has requested Aasandha to cover the surgery under the scheme.