Mulago hospital launches surgical camp for children with birth defects

November 9, 2021: Pediatric surgeons at Mulago hospital operate on a baby with hernia. Picture by Tonny Abet

Mulago hospital launches surgical camp for children with birth defects

BY TONNY ABET

Mulago Hospital on Monday launched a ten-day surgical camp to operate on children with birth defects.

Dr Rosemary Byanyima, the deputy director of the hospital said the camp is targeting children who were not able to access care because of a shortage of specialists and limited facilities in the country.

“There is a big number of children born with birth defects [in the country]. From time to time they [pediatric surgeons in Mulago hospital] operate on children but the backlog becomes a lot and then we have to organize a medical camp where we put all the resources together and operate,” Dr Byanyima said.

Added: “We are targeting to operate over 120 children. On the first day alone, around 20 children were operated on. Ninety percent of the specialists who are doing this are our staff but there are other two guests specialists who are going to be working with us.”

Dr John Sekabira, the head of pediatric surgery unit of Mulago Hospital told Daily Monitor that there are only seven pediatric surgeons in the country.

“This is in a country where children constitute 50 percent. Around 10 percent of [1.4 million] children born annually in the country have birth defects,” he said.

Dr Sekabira added that: “every month, our ward admits around 150 children with various conditions. The few number of specialists is one of the causes of backlog of children who can’t access operation services but facilities are also not enough.”

There are three dedicated theatres in Mulago hospital for operating children, according to the management.

Ms Agnes Nabaggala, a resident of Nsambya in Kampala and a mother who has brought a baby to be operated on, said her child was born without an anus.

“I [first] brought my baby here when he was one-day old and he was operated on the following day. The behind part was operated on when he was one year and nine months and now they are just going to return it back,” he said.

Dr Byanyima said the corrective surgeries are done in stages. “We thank the parents for responding to the call to bring their children for these operations. These children are having their operations in stages and it is very important that the parents keep bringing their children in the next and the following appointment.”

Dr Sekabira said there is not much that mothers can do to prevent the birth defects. He said the commonest conditions they handle include children born without anus, children with undescended testes, problems in the spleen, intestinal obstruction and cancers among others. 

Keywords: mulago, Hospital, Kampala, Uganda, children, defects, birth