Goitre, hernia top list of surgical backlog in Gulu

Hernia and goitre are the two main conditions currently topping the list of pending surgical procedures in Gulu District, health officials say.

The district health department says it has been difficult for the major health facilities in the district to conduct surgeries on patients with the two conditions due to the limited number of specialists.

A fraction of the cases were recently operated on during a surgical camp by Bulamu Health Care International last week.

Dr Kenneth Cana, the district health officer, told Daily Monitor on Tuesday that they are only relying on non-governmental organisations, which organise medical camps where such cases are handled.

“These (health camps) are our temporary measures to handle the backlog; we have a very big backlog of these untreated surgical conditions, so the camps will relieve us of such conditions as a temporary approach,” Dr Cana said.

In April, Bulamu Health Care International received 400 patients from Angaya Health Centre II, Labworomor Health Centre II and Awach Health Centre IV to undergo surgical operation during the health camp that was held at Awach Health Centre IV.

A total of 205 patients turned up on the first day for the five-day camp. Dr Emmanuel Opolot, the programme manager at the health facility, said 102 of the patients were operated upon, with the majority being hernia and goitre.

“The different surgical conditions were seen but we had 35 patients with goitre, and hernia was slightly higher than that (at 41); seven cases were of gynaecology, among others,” Dr Opolot said.

“Most of the patients diagnosed with goitre that we examined and operated had earlier on been referred for specialised treatment elsewhere because they could not be handled locally in the lower health centres,” he added.

According to Dr Opolot, goitre is caused by deficiency of iodine in the diet, poor medication, and radiation exposure.

“The condition can be prevented by having a well-balanced diet, awareness, and regular checks,” he advised.

At the end of the camp, the number of those operated with the two conditions had grown to more than 100, according to Mr Mackey Masereka, the deputy county director of Bulamu Health Care International.

Mr Masereka said their intervention was informed by need-based observation.

“We discovered that there are many conditions that require medical surgery yet majority of the patients cannot afford it in private facilities; at government hospitals, the queues are long,” he said.

In March, Bulamu Health Care International conducted a similar health camp at Atiak Health Centre IV where the number of goitre and hernia cases was higher than other surgical conditions.

The district health officer said besides fast-tracking the upgrade of Awach Health Centre IV, they are in the process of recruiting more medical experts to help in handling the conditions.

Dr Cana added that the majority of surgical cases that are referred to Gulu Regional Referral Hospital are turned away due to lack of specialised doctors.

“First of all, we are planning to recruit more health workers and doctors because one of the reasons that resulted in the backlog of cases is inadequate human resources. As a district, we are also in the process of ensuring that Awach is upgraded from level 4 to a general hospital,” he said.

He also added that “goitre is a neglected surgical condition and the other bottle neck is that it requires specialised operation, which is not in the lower facility.”

About goitre 

Goitre is a swelling of the thyroid gland that causes a lump in the front of the neck. Although goitres are usually painless, large ones can cause cough and make it difficult for a person to swallow or breathe. Goitre normally manifests in two types; toxic goitre and the ordinary goitre. Toxic goitre leads to the making of excessive hormones, which can bring about severe disfigurement of one’s thyroid gland.

Compiled by Tobbias Jolly Owiny, Teddy Dokotho & Marko Taibot

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