Sheffield medical experts travel to India to help children with rare bone conditions

Bone experts from Sheffield Children’s Hospital travelled to India to give life-improving surgery to 40 children and provide advanced medical training to 85 medical staff.

The volunteer team spent six days in Bengaluru, Southern India, to help underprivileged children with bone conditions who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford surgery. As well as operating on 40 children, the team provided professional opinions on the needs of a further 25 children.

This medical team included orthopaedic surgeons and theatre staff from Sheffield Children’s Hospital and physiotherapists from Barnsley Hospital.

The medical and surgical staff from Sheffield Children’s – who are world-renowned for their expertise – also went on to help develop a greater understanding of complex and rare conditions in the country’s medical community.

The Sheffield Children’s team helped 85 Indian medical staff gain a greater understanding of rare bone dysplasias and metabolic bone conditions.

The experts were part of The Skeletal Dysplasia Group UK and ran the four day course for senior doctors in the fields of radiology, genetics, pathology and orthopaedics.

The training focused on skeletal and metabolic bone diseases – a category of rare genetic disorders that affect bones and joints and hinders children’s growth and development. Children with these conditions often have other orthopaedic complications and can have a degree of short stature.

The Sheffield Children’s international team included:

• Dr Paul Arundel, Consultant in Paediatric Metabolic Bone Disease
• Mr James Fernandes, Consultant Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon
• Dr Amaka Offiah, Reader in Paediatric Musculoskeletal Imaging at The University of Sheffield, Honorary Consultant Paediatric Radiologist at Sheffield Children’s, and Chairperson of the Skeletal Dysplasia Group for Teaching & Research

Dr Melita Irving, a Consultant Clinical Geneticist from London also played a key role in the training.

Other partners included The Skeletal Dysplasia Group for Teaching and Research UK, St. John’s Medical College Hospital and St. John’s Centre for Children with Special Needs (Unit of Hope).