Local medics benefit from training

An initiative to handle complex operations within selected hospitals in the country has recorded some remarkable achievements. Recently an operation to remove a tumour was successfully conducted at the Rwanda Military Hospital.The operation on 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 on 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 stop the swelling from becoming 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 live but in vain.. 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,” she said.Dr Egiziabher told The New Times that 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 stop 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. “Her case was a bit unusual compared to the ones I regularly handle since her tumour was so big and affecting the kidneys. The uterus was also removed with her consent to prevent the tumour from growing again and to save her life,” he said.He said he was able to perform the surgery because of the training he has undergone. He added that he would soon be operating upon another with a tumour weighing over 12 kilogrammes.Dr Egiziabhe says government is not only providing equipment but building capacity as well by facilitating the training of local medics in various medical specialties in universities abroad. According to Dr. Alex Butera, the Director of Kigali King Faisal Hospital, many surgical operations can be handled locally.He notes that most local doctors have the capacity but cites lack of equipment as a key challenge.Butera concurs with Dr. Egiziabhe’s that the government is fully committed to ensuring that many surgeons receive relevant medical skills.“We also encourage surgeons to belong to different specialties and urge them to attend international conferences to be equipped with knowledge. We now have the manpower and equipment. The other challenge left is that of space at King Faisal Hospital,” Dr. Butera said.He notes that 12 to 15 surgical cases or even more are performed daily at King Faisal Hospital and almost 500 monthly.Another complicated surgery that was recently conducted at King Faisal Hospital is that of 13- year old Pius Kurama, whose arms began being deformed at the age of three.This complication is known as Echondroma, one of the most common hand tumours whose causes are unknown.The right arm became shorter and eventually both started bending and becoming shorter.He was taken to Mulago Hospital, Uganda where medics declared it normal yet his arms continued to become deformed.“I was also taken to Kenya and Kibuli Hospital, Uganda where they did a biopsy and recommended that I be taken to India. We went to India and nothing was done until I was taken back to King Faisal Hospital,”said Kurama.According to Frank Mugabo, Kurama’s father, the family spent a lot of money trying to seek help in other countries yet the remedy was finally found in the country.For instance, they paid Ugandan shillings 1.8 million for just one biopsy in a hospital in Uganda. Kurama’s treatment regime began in January 2010 and ended in March 2011. During this period, he had two operations conducted by Dr. Butera at King Faisal Hospital.Arthur Asiimwe, the Director General of Health Communication Centre, said there is a total of 130 medical specialists countrywide, some of whom are surgeons.He said among the 100 local medics currently pursuing different specialised courses in medicine, some are training to be surgeons in different fields.

National

Local medics benefit from training