Orthopaedic Surgical Mission Brings Relief to Nigerians Suffering from Joint Diseases

CHICAGO and WARSAW, Ind., Sept. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The GEANCO Foundation, a
not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare delivery for the
people of Nigeria, is organizing a medical mission for two surgeons and fifteen
support team members to travel to the West African country to provide
orthopaedic treatment to patients suffering from disabling joint diseases.
Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ZMH; SIX: ZMH), a global leader in musculoskeletal
care, will support the mission by donating orthopaedic implants and other
surgical products.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, but the prevailing standard of
specialty healthcare, including orthopaedics, is extremely poor. Less than 200
trained orthopaedic surgeons currently practice in a country of more than 160
million people and their services are undermined by weak infrastructure. As a
result of limited access to domestic care, Nigerians currently spend more than
$900 million annually on healthcare abroad, further diminishing investment in
local infrastructure and medical training programs.

The GEANCO Foundation was established in 2005 by Dr. Godwin Onyema, MD and his
family, with the long-term goal of improving the standard of care in Nigeria
through the establishment of a world-class hospital facility in the country.
This facility would demonstrate the value of investment in local healthcare by
the government and domestic benefactors, and would provide much-needed training
to Nigerian health care professionals, administrators and others. As the
Foundation works to establish this facility, it coordinates medical missions to
demonstrate to the Nigerian community the benefits of specialty healthcare and
to make an immediate impact on the lives of Nigerians suffering from
debilitating diseases.

“Our medical missions to Nigeria are an essential part of our long-term program
to provide Nigeria with a truly world-class medical care facility,” said Afam
Onyema, Chief Operating Officer of the GEANCO Foundation. “Delivering
sustainable, specialty healthcare to Nigerians will require the commitment of
many organizations and individuals, and we are deeply appreciative of the
enthusiasm and dedication of the surgeons and support personnel participating in
our outreach missions.”

Following the success of an orthopaedic mission involving surgeons from
Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center in 2005, this year’s mission will see
two orthopaedic surgeons from the OrthoCarolina Group in Charlotte, North
Carolina, and the Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center in Westminster, Colorado,
travel to Nigeria to perform joint replacement surgeries on more than 40
patients from across Anambra State, a region of more than 4 million people
serviced by a single orthopaedic practitioner. In July, the surgeons traveled to
Nigeria for a pre-mission trip to assess patient cases and plan for the upcoming
surgeries.

“These communities are in desperate need of orthopaedic care – in response to
the mission’s outreach via radio, text-messaging and word of mouth, more than
200 patients applied to participate in this program,” said Dr. Neil Sheth, a
surgeon with the OrthoCarolina Group. “The severity of the cases we have seen in
Nigeria is astonishing and we are looking forward to helping a number of these
patients return to productive and active lives free from chronic pain.”

During their week-long mission, the surgeons will perform hip and knee total
joint replacements, as well as lower extremity trauma surgeries. The mission is
being made possible by donations from a number of groups including Zimmer, which
will provide the orthopaedic implants and surgical equipment used on the
mission.

“The core focus of the GEANCO Foundation – the delivery of high-quality health
care to underserved populations – is closely aligned with Zimmer’s corporate
values and our mission to alleviate pain and restore mobility to patients around
the world,” said Jeffery A. McCaulley, President, Zimmer Reconstructive.
“Through the supply of medical equipment, Zimmer is proud to play a small part
in the noble work of the GEANCO Foundation and the participating surgeons and
their teams.”

For more information on the GEANCO Foundation, visit www.geanco.org. To learn
more about how Zimmer is helping patients around the world to regain active
lifestyles through advanced orthopaedic care, visit www.zimmer.com.

About Zimmer

Founded in 1927 and headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, Zimmer designs, develops,
manufactures and markets orthopaedic reconstructive, spinal and trauma devices,
dental implants, and related surgical products. Zimmer has operations in more
than 25 countries around the world and sells products in more than 100
countries. Zimmer’s 2010 sales were approximately $4.2 billion. The Company is
supported by the efforts of more than 8,000 employees worldwide.

About The GEANCO Foundation

Founded in Chicago in 2005 by Dr. Godwin Onyema and his family, the GEANCO
Foundation is dedicated to saving and improving the lives of vulnerable women
and children in Nigeria. GEANCO’s directors hold degrees from Harvard,
Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown and University of Chicago.
GEANCO leads medical missions to Nigeria and organizes African Health symposia
in the US. The Foundation’s current major project is the development of a
world-class hospital — Augustine Memorial Hospital (AMH) — in southeast
Nigeria.

SOURCE Zimmer