20 undergo brain surgery at Mulago Hospital, Uganda in association with Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad
Twenty patients with major brain complications have undergone successful surgeries during a one week Neurosurgery camp at Mulago National Referral hospital. The surgeries were carried out by a team of surgeons from Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad, India with the help of Ugandan surgeons.
As a part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with Mulago National Referral Hospital on 11th June 2014, Yashoda Hospitals continued its collaboration and partnership for training, education, teaching, expansion projects, exchange programs and work-shops. Further to the renal transplant observership programs and neurosurgery observership programs, Yashoda Hospitals successfully completed third edition of Neurosurgical Skill transfer workshop.
Some of the cases that were managed include brain tumours, spinal cord tumours, congenital defects and head injuries. Advanced neuro-monitoring and awake craniotomies were part of the neurosurgical skill transfer workshop.
Team from Yashoda Hospitals carried vital intra-operative neuro monitoring equipment to perform brain tumour procedures located at critical areas so that patient remains safe with no neuro-deficits after these surgeries.
The team expected to operate more than 40 people but they managed to operate a few of them because some of the cases took long hours than expected.
Dr. Michael Muhumuza, the head of neurosurgery ward said. “A major complicated case took about eight hours.” The patients’ also included six children with congenital defects.
A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain, which can be cancerous or non-cancerous (benign).
Dr. Muhumuza added that during the camp they faced problem of limited space in the theatre. “Although we had three theatres for our patients we would have loved to have more.”
Some of the symptoms of brain tumor include; headaches which don’t improve with pain killers, sight problems and nausea among others.
The hospital’s director Dr. Baterana Byarugaba said government is finalizing plans to do all cases of neurosurgeries in the country than referring patients abroad.
He appealed to Boda-Boda cyclists and passengers to use helmets in order to minimize cases of head injuries.
Originally published in New Vision. Accessed on Wednesday,October 16,2019 11:36 AM
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- https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1334673/undergo-brain-surgery-mulago-hospital