SURGEONS from an Oxford hospital are flying out to Romania to treat up to 90 disabled orphans.

A medical team at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington is working with the Foundation for the Relief Of Disabled Orphans (Frodo) charity, and will fly to the city of Sibiu, in Transylvania, for a week in June.

Team members will treat children from surrounding orphanages with bone and joint conditions, as well as training some Romanian medical professionals.

The team is being led by Rachel Buckingham, a children’s orthopaedic surgeon specialising in children’s upper limb disorders and club feet, and Andy Wainwright, a children’s orthopaedic surgeon specialising in deformity correction.

Mother-of-three Mrs Buckingham, 41, who lives in Radley, near Abingdon, said: “The work that Frodo has been doing to champion the cause of vulnerable disabled orphans and relieve their suffering is inspirational.

“I am very excited to be visiting Romania and I’m looking forward to treating the children and improving their quality of life.” The NOC team, which consists of two consultant surgeons, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist and three theatre sisters, will be working from a hospital in Sibiu.

Mr Wainwright added: “Our priority will be the children living in institutions — many of them have conditions that we regularly see at the NOC, such as club feet, dislocated hips and fractures that have not healed correctly.”

On Wednesday, staff at the NOC held a cake sale in the hospital atrium to raise money to buy presents for the children.

Rick Lynas, programme manager for Frodo, said: “Surgeons and medical staff have limited holidays and we really appreciate them volunteering to do this work free of charge in their own time. We have been very fortunate to get internationally renowned paediatricians working for us.”

affrench@oxfordmail.co.uk