Tanzania, Australia Specialists Perform Rare Surgery At Muhimbili National Hospital

November 2016 TheCitizen: Local specialists at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), in collaboration with surgeons from St John of God Hospital in Australia, yesterday performed a rare microvascular surgery on a 35-year-old man by transferring small muscles of blood vessels from the upper part of the leg to the lower part. The procedure is medically known as “free gracilis muscle transfer”.

The last time MNH performed such microvascular surgery was in 1991. Thus, yesterday, history was written yet again, with the novel procedure being performed by at least 10 experts–that is, six Tanzanian and four Australia surgeons.

The patient’s name could not be disclosed due to ethical reasons. He was reported to have suffered from burns, which necessitated the rare surgical procedure.

Speaking to reporters, the MNH orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Edwin Mrema, said the rare microvascular operation took at least six hours.

He said such a rare surgery was normally performed on very small structures, such as blood vessels and nerves, with specialised instruments under a microscope.

“We managed to discover at least 20 people with complications through screening conducted last Sunday. In collaboration with the foreign experts, we have managed to perform the rare operation since 25 years ago,” he noted.

Dr Mrema mentioned a shortage of local specialists and modern medical equipment to perform such rare operations as the main challenge facing the national hospital. He noted that most of the rare operations were performed by foreign experts.

He said the MNH had been receiving a number of patients with various complications. According to him, there are no official records showing the actual amount of money the government has been incurring by sending patients abroad for treatment.

“I sincerely don’t have the actual figure, but treatment expenses normally vary, depending on the kind of the surgical procedure being performed,” he noted.

Dr Mrema revealed that the surgery department at the country’s leading referral hospital had been receiving patients with various complications from other departments, including the Dental Department, Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute and the Ear Nose and Throat Department.

Foreign expert and clinical nurse from St John of God Hospital Lyndon Hudson noted that the similar microvascular operation cost at least $46,800 (Sh98.3 million) in Australia.

He also noted that it took a minimum of three months from the operation date to start seeing muscle movements as small twitches, which continue to improve for up to two years.

“In Australia, a similar operation costs at least $130 per minute. Hence, the procedure consumes at least six hours,” he said. Mr Hudson commended local specialists at the national hospital for showing support outside and inside the theatre room. He said the successfully rare operation was made possible because of the cooperation they had been receiving from local experts.

“I hope that in the coming few years, similar procedures will be performed by local specialists at the national hospital. They are learning from us and we help them acquire requisite knowledge and skills,” he said.

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