PATIENTS in Preston waiting for hip-replacements could be treated by a team of doctors from South Africa brought in to cut waiting times.
There are currently 20 patients on waiting lists for the operation at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The project, using a medical team from overseas, is the biggest of its kind and the first to involve major joint surgery.
The £1.97 million project involves 300 patients from Lancashire, Cumbria, Cheshire and Merseyside.
From June, patients will be asked if they want to be operated on at Southport and Formby District General by the team from Netcare.
The South African medics have been interviewed and shortlisted by health chiefs from Lancashire and Cumbria Strategic Health Authority.
There will be no obligation for patients to undergo surgery by the team and those who choose not to will remain on the waiting list.
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