title: Reconstructive Surgery Camp for Leprosy Deformities in a Tertiary Hospital: An Example of Service Delivery at Low Costs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Seventy percent of all cases of leprosy in the world occur in India. 8,462 new cases of disability were reported in India between 2010-11. Reconstructive Surgery Camps (RSC) provide free of cost plastic surgical expertise to patients of leprosy with deformity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this article was to report the outcomes of a RSC in a tertiary level university hospital in India. We also described the types of deformities in the patient group and the cost of conducting such a camp.
  
  
  METHODS
  The RSC involved 130 patients with leprosy related deformities operated by a team of plastic surgeons in a tertiary university hospital over 5 days. Health workers of the National Leprosy Elimination Program identified patients at community level. The camp was funded by the central government of India and the patients were provided incentives for undergoing treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plantar ulcer was the commonest deformity (51.5%) while lagopthalmos (9.2%) was the least common deformity in the patient group. The overall complication rate in our study was around 10.6% (n=11). The total cost of this camp was 730,000 rupees (£7029.9).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reconstructive surgery in a camp setup is a low cost alternative of correcting leprosy related deformity. It also provides valuable practical experience in reconstructive surgery to surgical trainees. Tertiary hospital based camps for conducting large-scale surgeries may be a cost effective alternative to reduce waiting lists in public health sectors. Long-term studies monitoring patients operated in a camp setting would be worthwhile.
authors.affiliation: Intern, Department of Surgery, Shubechha Hospital , Akota, Vadodara, Gujarat, India .
authors.forename: Nikita R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Bhatt
authors.affiliation: Resident, Department of Surgery, SSG Hospital , Vadodara, Gujarat, India .
authors.forename: Gaurav A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Kakked
authors.affiliation: Head, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shubechha Hospital , Akota, Vadodara, Gujarat, India .
authors.forename: Kinnari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vyas
authors.affiliation: Registrar, Department of Orthopaedics, Adelaide and Meath Hospital Ireland; Shubechha Hospital, Akota, Vadodara, Gujarat, India .
authors.forename: Rajiv
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Merchant
keywords: Leprosy related deformity; Low cost; National Leprosy Eradication Program