Joint Replacement Surgery in India: What International Patients Should Know

A significant share of the cases Dr. Jangid presented in his masterclass were patients who had travelled to India for surgery, several of them from Nigeria, Congo and the United States, and his account of their treatment and recovery offers a practical picture of what that process actually involves.

Complex cases that are difficult to manage elsewhere

Dr. Jangid noted that colleagues from the United States, Europe and Australia have told him directly, at international conferences, that the volume and complexity of cases his centre handles routinely, long-neglected deformities, failed prior surgeries, complex bilateral cases, are less common in their own practices. Where implant bone loss is extensive, customised implants tailored to the individual patient are available in India at a comparatively reasonable cost, with recovery times that hold up well against more standard cases.

How quickly patients can expect to go home

One case he described was an American patient, a tall former basketball player, whose knee had failed after a previous ACL reconstruction. Robotic surgery allowed the team to plan and fit a correctly sized custom implant precisely to his anatomy. He left India within ten days of his surgery, needing only to have his dressing removed once he was back home. In a more complex case, a businesswoman from Nigeria who arrived in a wheelchair with both hips and both knees severely damaged had her hips replaced first and began walking, then her knees replaced three weeks later, before leaving India roughly ten days after that second surgery. Both cases point to the same pattern: complex reconstructive work does not necessarily mean an extended stay once the surgery itself is done well.

A pathway for doctors, not just patients

Dr. Jangid also flagged a standing training pathway for doctors from Africa: a one-year fellowship programme in India where visiting doctors can learn joint replacement surgery directly. Doctors interested in the programme need to email the team and register with India's National Medical Council before joining.

This article is based on a Jivo Masterclass session conducted by Dr. Subhash Jangid, Senior Director, Orthopaedics & Joint Reconstruction, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon. The article has been summarised with the assistance of an AI tool from the original masterclass recording. Watch the full Masterclass recording

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