Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
A FORM Four boy from Ndlovu Secondary School outside Victoria Falls town has been enduring the pain of a two-centimetre needle that broke inside his palm in November last year as doctors have been failing to remove it.
Holton Mpala (18) is an orphan who stays with his paternal grandparents in Ndlovu village under Chief Mvuthu.
He has missed the first week of the 2021 school term as the pain is reportedly unbearable.
Holton spent over three months being attended to at Mpilo Central Hospital and United Bulawayo Hospitals but doctors reportedly failed to remove the needle after two manual operations.
He is back home and his grandmother Ms Senzeni Nyathi is appealing for help to take him to Livingstone, Zambia where they have been assured that he can be operated on and the needle removed.
Ms Nyathi said well wishers could contact her on +263779714296.
They need about US$430 for X-ray, surgical operation, medication, transport and accommodation in the neighbouring country and well-wishers, particularly Victoria Falls residents have started contributing.
Holton was injured on November 22 last year while washing his school uniform.
The needle was on the shirt and he accidentally got pricked and it broke inside his left palm.
Ms Nyathi said he can no longer use the hand and fears he may be amputated.
“He is in pain and can’t go to school. His younger brother used a needle and left it on the shirt and as he was washing, Holton was pricked on the left palm and about two centimetres in, the needle broke.
“We tried to remove it but failed and we rushed him to Victoria Falls Hospital where they transferred him to Mpilo Central Hospital,” she said.
The incident happened on November 22 and Holton was operated on at Mpilo on December 22 but the surgery was unsuccessful.
Ms Nyathi said doctors saw the needle on X-Ray but could not remove it during the manual operation.
She said they were referred to a specialist doctor at UBH where they were told that a special machine for carrying out such surgical operations was down.
“We were in Bulawayo from December to March 14 and ended up coming back home because there was no help. A doctor advised us to go to Zambia and we are appealing for help from people so we can go there and have him operated on. Some people have been sending money and once we have enough, we will go,” she said, adding that she had exhausted all her savings trying to get help for her grandson.
Ndlovu Secondary School authorities have said Holton has potential to pass his Ordinary Level examinations.
Bulawayo Provincial Medical Director Dr Welcome Mlilo said there is no special surgical machine for such operations but referred questions to the two health institutions.
Acting Mpilo Central Hospital chief executive Professor Solwayo Ngwenya said he would need to investigate the case as it was not possible for the patient to be told that a special operation was needed.
“I can’t really comment on the issue because I am not yet familiar with the specific case but what I can say is that there is no specialised machine for that. If an X-ray can show that the needle is there then a doctor can remove it,” he said adding that he would need to go through the boy’s records.
Prof Ngwenya said there was no need for Holton to go to Zambia for an operation as the needle can be removed. — @ncubeleon
Online Reporter