Mulago to conduct 100 free brain tumour operations
The executive director of Mulago Hospital, Dr Byarugaba Baterana (left), receives 2,500 surgical gloves from Mr Brian Kivuya, the managing director of East African Medical Vitals, in Kampala yesterday. PHOTO | SHABIBAH NAKIRIGYA
Mulago National Referral Hospital has kicked off a two-week neuro camp that is expected to operate 100 patients with brain tumours.
Dr Michael Muhumuza, the senior consultant neurosurgeon and clinical head at the Directorate of Surgical Services at Mulago Hospital made the announcement while receiving 2,500 pairs of surgical gloves from East African Medical Vitals (EAMV) in Kampala yesterday.
Dr Muhumuza said due to the backlog of brain tumour patients, they requested the administration to give them about two weeks and space to clear up the cases.
“Surgeons are expected to work on two to three tumours per day to manage the 100 target. Operations will be conducted in five theatres on cases such as pituitary, glioma, meningioma, and others that come across during the operations,” he said.
Dr Muhumuza added that they used to get many brain injuries, making it difficult to carry out tumour operations.
“Patients with brain accidents, clots in the brain and brain damages come in when they are in critical condition and you cannot leave them and operate those with who can even walk,” he said
Dr Muhumuza said they had registered 100 patients, but due to the lockdown, the number accumulated and they lost others because they could not reach the hospital. “This has hindered us from working on other conditions. We realised that the number has accumulated and we have lost several who had booked, which is very traumatising,” he said.
“On a daily basis, Mulago hospital operates eight to 10 patients, but handles only two a week on tumour cases. This is a very complicated surgery, which not only takes a long time, but also needs a lot of preparation,” he said.
Dr Muhumuza also said brain tumour patients need intensive care after surgery for at least two days to monitor their condition.
“Brain tumour patients need a lot of blood before and after operation, and due to the lockdown, we have insuffiect blood because the donors were affected with the Covid-19 pandemic and this has also led to the backlog,” he said.
Dr Byarugaba Baterana, the executive director of Mulago Hospital, said the operation will be free to all registered patients.
“We have trained several neurosurgeons and we want to make sure that they put in practice what they were taught about brain cases and operations,” he said .
Dr Baterana said other theatres will keep operating during the two-weeks neuro camp.
Mr Brian Kivuya, the managing director of EAMV, while handing over surgical gloves, said they are set to support the health sector through providing medical equipment, especially surgical and examination gloves.
“We have handed over 1,000 surgical and 1,500 medical gloves, which are powder free and since we are locally operating from here, EAMVE is ably ready to supply both the government and private health service providers, with enough volumes,” he said.
