Last updated: October 24, 2026
Quick answer
In brief: a businesswoman from Sierra Leone lived with hip pain for 16 years after a motorcycle accident. Doctors in Kenya and India could not treat it. While doing business in Zhejiang, China, she was referred to a Grade 3A hospital there, where surgeons gave her a total hip replacement in China using a ceramic-on-ceramic implant. She was walking again within two days.
Sixteen years of pain with no fix
Fulamatu Bangura, a businesswoman from Sierra Leone, injured her hip in a motorcycle accident 16 years ago. The injury left her with lasting pain and a limp that got worse over time.
"When the pain was bad, every step was agony," she said, translated from Chinese. She saw doctors in Kenya and consulted specialists in India, trying several treatments along the way. None of them worked. Some patients in this position get a second opinion from a doctor in China before traveling, rather than consulting doctor after doctor at home. Cost, access to care, and language barriers all made it harder for Bangura to keep trying, so the problem dragged on for years.
A business trip, then a different plan
Bangura was in Zhejiang province on a trading trip. She had planned to travel on to Guangzhou next for medical care. That changed when a fellow African trader doing business in Yiwu, who had been successfully treated for breast cancer there, recommended a Grade 3A hospital in Zhejiang. Bangura changed her itinerary and went to Yiwu instead.
A Grade 3A hospital is a public hospital in China holding the country's top tier of hospital accreditation.
A diagnosis that raised the stakes
By the time Bangura reached the hospital, she was walking with a visible limp and in a lot of pain. Imaging showed advanced avascular necrosis of the femoral head. That is a condition where the ball-shaped top of the thighbone loses its blood supply, and the bone tissue dies. In her case, the femoral head had already split.
The attending physician, a chief physician in the joint and sports medicine department, said conservative treatment could no longer help. He recommended a total hip replacement.
Body mass index (BMI) is a person's weight in kilograms divided by their height in meters squared, used to classify body weight. The World Health Organization classifies a BMI of 30 or higher as obesity (WHO, 2024). Bangura's BMI was over 30. That raised the surgical difficulty and the risk of complications. It also raised the bar for her recovery afterward.
Surgery with a ceramic-on-ceramic implant
Three surgeons planned the operation together beforehand. They chose a posterolateral approach and a ceramic-on-ceramic implant. That design wears well over time, which lowers the risk of the implant loosening or slipping out of place later.
The surgery went better than the team had expected. By the second day after the operation, Bangura could walk with less support from a walker. "I don't hurt anymore," she said. The procedure also corrected a difference in leg length that had developed over the years.
| Step | What happened |
|---|---|
| Injury | A motorcycle accident 16 years before treatment |
| Prior care | Doctors in Kenya, specialists in India; no effective treatment |
| Referral | Word of mouth from a fellow trader in Yiwu |
| Diagnosis | Advanced avascular necrosis of the femoral head |
| Surgery | Total hip replacement with a ceramic-on-ceramic implant |
| Recovery | Walking with less support from a walker by day 2 |
Going home
Before leaving the hospital, Bangura said she planned to tell friends and family in Sierra Leone about her experience. She said she would recommend the hospital to anyone back home with a similar condition.
What avascular necrosis of the femoral head is, and how China treats it
Avascular necrosis of the femoral head happens when blood flow to that part of the hip bone is cut off. The bone tissue then dies (a 2022 review). Fractures, dislocations, and the surgery used to treat them are common causes. Long-term steroid use and heavy alcohol use are two more. Early on, the bone is still intact, and doctors try to save the joint. Once the femoral head collapses, as it had in Bangura's case, saving the joint is no longer realistic. Total hip replacement becomes the usual option.
International patient numbers at Chinese hospitals have grown quickly. Chinese health authorities reported about 1.28 million international patient visits to key hospitals in 2025, up 73.6% from three years earlier (Jiemian, 2025).
The cost of a total hip replacement in China for foreign patients
Hospitals that treat international patients in China don't publish fixed prices for joint replacement surgery. Cost is usually quoted after a doctor has reviewed the case and depends on factors such as:
- the type of implant used, such as a ceramic-on-ceramic or metal-on-polyethylene design.
- the surgical approach and any extra care needed for risk factors such as obesity.
- the length of the hospital stay and follow-up care.
Foreign patients also need a China visa before they can travel for treatment. Ask for a written cost estimate before committing to travel.
FAQ
Can foreigners get hip replacement surgery in China?
Yes. Major Chinese hospitals have international departments that register and treat non-Chinese patients, and the number of international patients treated each year has grown quickly. Each hospital sets its own intake process, so requirements vary by location and department.
What is avascular necrosis of the femoral head?
It is bone death in the ball-shaped top of the thighbone, caused by a loss of blood supply. Common causes include fractures, dislocations, long-term steroid use, and heavy alcohol use. Early stages can sometimes be managed without surgery, but once the femoral head collapses, total hip replacement is usually the treatment of choice.
What is a ceramic-on-ceramic hip replacement?
It is a type of hip implant that uses ceramic surfaces on both sides of the joint instead of metal or plastic. Ceramic surfaces resist wear well, which can lower the long-term risk of the implant loosening or coming loose at the joint.
Does obesity make hip replacement surgery riskier?
Yes. A higher body mass index raises the technical difficulty of the operation, the risk of complications, and the demands of post-surgical rehabilitation. Surgeons typically account for this in the surgical plan and recovery timeline.
How much does hip replacement cost in China for international patients?
Hospitals quote a cost range after reviewing a patient's records and imaging, rather than publishing fixed prices. The total depends on the type of implant, the surgical approach, and the length of hospital stay, so get a written estimate first.
Sources
- 旭瑞国际, "非洲女商人的中国奇遇：做完生意，顺便治好了16年的老毛病" [An African businesswoman's extraordinary trip to China: after closing a deal, she also cured a 16-year health problem], WeChat, October 23, 2026, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/2LgYZCy97uU6UbniAT6PPQ. This is the source of this patient's account. The hospital's full name is not disclosed in the original report, so this adaptation keeps it as general as the source does.
- "Avascular Necrosis of Femoral Head and its Mimics: A Comprehensive Review," PMC9223442, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9223442/.
- World Health Organization, "Obesity and overweight" fact sheet, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight.
- Jiemian, report on the National Health Commission's 2025 report on international patient volumes at major Chinese hospitals, https://m.jiemian.com/article/14095369.html.
Last verified: October 24, 2026
Editorial note: the medical background and statistics in this article were checked against the sources listed above before publication.
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