Online Reporter
Mkhululi Ncube, [email protected]
A TOTAL of 100 children underwent life-changing hernia surgeries at Mpilo Central Hospital last Friday, thanks to a partnership between Celebration Church, the Ministry of Health and Child Care and Stanbic Bank.
A hernia occurs when an internal organ or tissue pushes through a weak spot in the muscle or tissue that contains it. In many cases, it affects the abdominal area and, if left untreated, can cause severe complications, including pain and difficulty in performing basic functions.
The surgeries were conducted as part of a medical outreach initiative by Celebration Life, the community outreach arm of Celebration Church. The organisation mobilised a team of medical professionals from Harare to assist their counterparts at Mpilo Central Hospital in clearing a growing backlog of children awaiting hernia operations.
For parents like Ms Yolanda Sibanda, the surgery marked the end of a painful ordeal for her son, who had suffered from a hernia in one of his testes.
“My son was in so much pain and whenever it flared up, he couldn’t even urinate. I had taken him to the hospital before, but we were only given temporary medication,” she said.
“Every week, I had to buy more medicine, which became too expensive. I am relieved the surgery was successful, and this programme has truly saved us.”
Celebration Health medical director Dr Freeblessing Murahwa said the programme has been running for several years, with plans to expand its reach in Bulawayo.
“Our target was to complete 100 hernia surgeries to try and decongest the long waiting list of children in need of hernias. Our goal here is to help the surgeons at the hospital to make sure that children do not have to wait long to access these surgeries,” he said.
Dr Marahwa said if left untreated, hernia can become complicated as it affects people’s lifestyle and can lead to death.
He said ideally, the surgeries must be done as soon as the condition is diagnosed within the first month.
“Since 2022, we have done around 500 hernias around the country. We have a running hernia programme at Victoria Chitepo Hospital in Manicaland province, where we take our team of surgeons one weekend every month to attend to the children with the condition,” said Dr Marahwa.
He revealed that efforts are underway to replicate the Victoria Chitepo Hospital model at Mpilo Central Hospital, to conduct hernia surgeries monthly to further reduce the backlog.
The initiative received significant financial backing, with Stanbic Bank contributing US$15 000 to fund the Mpilo Central Hospital campaign. Dr Murawa expressed gratitude for the corporate sector’s involvement.
Mpilo Central Hospital’s senior paediatric surgeon, Dr Sithandweyinkosi Mushunje, welcomed the programme, noting the ongoing surgical camp is helping to clear the long waiting list, with many of the patients coming from rural areas.
She explained that the hospital conducts two elective surgery lists per week, but these often compete with other urgent procedures, such as neonatal and reconstructive surgeries, which take longer. As a result, only one or two hernia surgeries would typically be done per session, causing the waiting list to grow.
“I am excited that we are attending to patients from places such as Tsholotsho, Nyamandlovu, Zaka, Masvingo, Zvishavane, Mberengwa and Binga. Ordinarily, these patients would have been placed on an elective surgery list,” she said.
“We have two elective surgery lists per week, but these compete with other critical procedures, such as neonatal and reconstructive surgeries, which take longer. As a result, we often manage to perform only one or two hernia surgeries per session, which prolongs the waiting period.”
Dr Mushunje urged parents of children with hernias to seek medical assistance at their nearest health facilities, where they can receive guidance on how to access treatment.
“Hernias occur due to a congenital defect that allows internal contents to move into areas where they shouldn’t be. If the defect is in the groin, the contents move into the scrotum; if it is around the umbilicus, it bulges outwards” she explained. — @themkhust
