A team of medical experts from Egypt will carry out 150 surgical operations during their one week stay in Rwanda, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health.The group will be in the country from May 13 to carry out special surgical operations under the auspices of the Rwandan and Egyptian health ministries. The arrangement is part of a bilateral platform between the two counties. The team will comprise of six distinguished surgeons in the field of laparoscopic, paediatric, maxillofacial and plastic, gynaecology and obstetrics surgery. The operations will be carried out from Kigali Central University Hospital (CHUK) and Muhima Hospital. “This is a cost effective way that the Ministry of Health has adopted in treating difficult cases, where it has less expertise and which would normally have been referred abroad,” reads part of the statement.The Egyptians will work hand-in-hand with their Rwandan counterparts to share experiences and learn from one another. The Egypt-Rwanda health cooperation was renewed during a recent visit by the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mohamed Kamel Amr, in January. Meanwhile, reports Maria Kaitesi efforts to handle intricate operations within selected hospitals in the country have gained momentum culminating in the recent successful tumour operation conducted at Rwanda Military Hospital.The operation of Samantha (real name withheld on request) was conducted by Dr Tekle G.Egiziabher, an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Kanombe-based hospital.Samantha was first operated upon in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002. However, in 2007, the swelling reappeared and became worse, a situation that compelled her to consult a doctor, who gave her oral medication. However, this did not deter the swelling from growing bigger.When she went for her last operation, the tumour weighed over eight kilogrammes.“I went to four different hospitals in D.R. Congo, where I used to reside but it was all futile. Some said they did not have the equipment to carry out the operation while others demanded a lot of money, which I could not raise,” Samantha narrated.Dr Egiziabher told The New Times Samantha was suffering from Leiomyoma or Uterine fibroids, which are noncancerous tumours that develop in the uterus.He said the condition is usually common among women of reproductive age, especially those between 30 and 40 years, who have never conceived or have only had one pregnancy.According to Dr. Egiziabhe, the tumour had grown so huge that it had to be removed along with the uterus to halt its chances of re-growing.He said he has so far performed over 100 similar operations since he joined the hospital five years ago though he points out that Samantha’s case was a bit peculiar.
