Sri Lanka’s main children’s hospital running out of orthopaedic supplies

The orthopaedic ward of the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital is in urgent need of critical surgical supplies and appeals for public assistance. 

These supplies are essential to make it less painful for children either recovering from broken bones or after surgeries to correct deformities.

Anyone who has had the misfortune of having had a limb in a plaster of paris cast will know what it feels like when it starts itching. Doctors use good quality stockinette to minimise that unbearable itch. But, unfortunately, the hospital is rapidly running out of these supplies and surgeons are cutting corners and trying to stretch the limited stocks, according to orthopaedic surgeons.

Soft rolls that are used between the skin and the cast are also in very short supply.  Any donations of stockinette and soft rolls could ease the pain for a lot of small children at this hospital.

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Dimuthu Tennakoon and his team hope that donors will assist the hospital to procure these supplies, which are available in the local market but are unaffordable for patients.

Very soon, the hospital will also run out of crucial Nancy nails, plates and screws to fix splintered bones. Orthopaedic surgeons will be helpless when they are out of these vital devices to treat trauma patients as well as those needing surgery to correct birth deformities.

“After we run out of the stocks, we will not be able to undertake surgeries,” one of the doctors at the LRH said. “We can’t put off these surgeries in growing kids. This is going to be a big tragedy.”

These are the often-unseen calamities awaiting young patients at the premier children’s hospital in the country due to the current cash crunch faced by the government.

Donors could either directly make purchases from suppliers and arrange for deliveries to the LRH or source from elsewhere and hand over directly to the doctors at the orthopaedic ward. This appeal is specifically to help the young patients in the orthopaedic ward of the hospital. Donors can also help the hospital through its website:  https://lrh.health.gov.lk/donate/ .

Hospital contact person medical officer in charge of planning,  Dr. Savithri Dharmarathna,  on mobile number  071 444 1705 (when calling from abroad+94 71 444 1705).  If any donor requires logistical support to arrange transport etc of the supplies they procure for the hospital, they may contact Shantha on + 070 116 2706.

The list of requirements is given below:

Instruments, consumables and dressings NEW OT LRH

Cannulated System 7.3mm - 1

Acculan 4 Battery Operated Drill with all Attachments - 2

Pneumatic Tourniquet A.T.S 4000 with accessory basket - 2

Tourniquet cuff 8”  - 4

12” – 4

18” - 4

24” – 4

30” – 4

34” – 4

42” – 4

Tenotomy Knives (Disposable) - 50

Cast Padding (3M or Benecare)

2” - 100

3” - 100

4” - 100

Stockinette

2” - 2 rolls

3” - 2 rolls

4” - 2 rolls

6” - 2 rolls

Synthetic Cast

5cm – 50

7.5cm - 50

POP (Gypsona or 3M)

5cm - 50

7.5cm - 100

Sutures

2/0 Round body vicryl 30mm - 100

2/0 Round body vicryl 26mm - 100

4/0 cutting Monocryl 3/8 circle 26mm - 100

4/0 cutting prolene (optilene) 20mm - 25

1 Round body vicryl 22mm ½ circle - 100

Ethibond polyester 25mm or 16mm ½ circle - 100

Others

Patient Warmer - 1

Skin Marker Pens - 20

Instruments, consumables and dressings NEW OT

LRH

3M Ioban surgical adhesive Drape size: 12” - 25

Instrument box with dull tray - 2

HMTS Reel for Plasma Sterilization

75mm - 1 roll

150mm - 1 roll

300mm - 1 roll

Sterilization Reel

75mm –  1 roll

150mm  - 1 roll

Hip Plates

3.5mm locking proximal femur plate 3 holes 110 degree - 10

3.5mm locking proximal femur plate 3 holes 120 degree - 10

3.5mm locking proximal femur plate 3 holes 130 degree - 10

3.5mm locking proximal femur plate 3 holes 140 degree - 10

3.5mm locking proximal femur plate 3 holes 150 degree - 5

5mm locking proximal femur plate 3 holes 110 degree - 10

5mm locking proximal femur plate 3 holes 120 degree - 10

5mm locking proximal femur plate 3 holes 130 degree - 10

5mm locking proximal femur plate 3 holes 140 degree - 10

5mm locking proximal femur plate 3 holes 150 degree - 5

Titanium Elastic Nails

TENS 4mm - 50

TENS 3.5mm - 50

TENS 3.0mm - 50

TENS 2.5mm - 20

TENS 2.0mm - 20

TENS 1.5mm – 20

Instruments, consumables and dressings NEW OT

LRH

General Instruments   -    Amount

Galley pots - 5

Pop scissors - 2

Fiber scissor - 1

Cast spreader - 1

MC Donald dissector - 2

Scoop Large - 2

Skin Hooks - 4

Metal Mallot - 1

Hohmann Retractor small - 4

Periosteal Elevator AO for small fragment set - 1

Periosteal elevator AO for large fragment set - 1

Travers Retractor Curved

Medium - 2

Large - 2

Killner double Ended Retractor (Cat’s paw) - 2

Langenback Retractor

Small - 2

Medium -2

Large -2

Mosquitoes fine curved - 3

Baby Mosquitoes Fine Curved - 3

Wire Bender - 1

Flat Nose Plier Medium - 2

Bone nibbler Ronger type Medium - 2

Orthopedic Metal ruler

30mm - 1

15mm - 1

Right Angle Dissector

Large  - 1

Medium - 1

B.P Handle No 3 short - 5

Tendon Hook - 1

Finger Control Sucker Medium - 3

K. Wires

1.5mm - 100

1.8mm - 50

2mm (Threaded) - 25

2mm (Non-Threaded) - 100

Crego Retractor  -2

Kidney Tray Medium - 5

Orthopaedic Instruments - 1

Adolescent lateral femoral Nail Instrument set - 1

8- plate system with implants for 50 patients - 1

Fassier-Duval telescopic IM Nail system - 1