Mulago hospital’s renovated spinal ward opens

Kampala. Patients with spinal injuries will no longer be referred abroad as Mulago National Referral Hospital is now fully equipped to treat such cases, officials have said.
Rotary Club of Kampala Metropolitan last weekend handed over the refurbished spinal ward to the hospital after three months of renovation.
Prof Isaac Kajja, the head of the Orthopaedic Department, said the unit is now fully equipped to handle all spinal treatment within the country.
“Fortunately, we are no longer sending patients for spine injury, spine degenerative problems and spine neoplesia outside Uganda and we are now able to do all these things and this is saving the country a lot of foreign exchange. What Rotary has done has actually contributed to saving the foreign exchange that is really meagre for our country. We are now going to increase on our numbers because we now have a better working environment,” he said.
Prof Kajja said the new facility will be able to handle between eight and 12 patients every week.

Appeal
According to him, the spine surgery procedure needs utmost care, a reason very few are handled on a daily basis.
“Spine surgery is a lengthy procedure and in a day, we can work on up to three cases and we cannot work all the five days,” he said.
Uganda trains experts in spinal treatment for many other countries in the region and on the continent and Prof Kajja said the team on the ground is highly specialised to carry out their work.
“For example, we can now do surgery under direct monitoring. There is an x-ray machine that helps us do surgery. When you do the procedure, you can see when and where you are going. What is happening in other developed countries we are now doing it here,” he said. Prof Kajja challenged the Ugandans to stop the mentality of seeking treatment abroad all the time but take advantage of the cheaper options that the national referral hospital offers.
Dr Baterana Byarugaba, the hospital executive director, said spine injuries keep increasing due to many accidents.
“Whenever there is an accident you would expect that one or two of the survivors have spinal injury and they will need the treatment.”
He said the renovations by Rotary Club of Kampala Metropolitan have saved the hospital a lot of resources and that the management will work hard to improve other facilities at the hospital. He appealed to more funding for the trauma theatre, which he said needs urgent attention.