Health facility in Jinja launches ‘keyhole’ surgery

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Health facility in Jinja launches 'keyhole' surgery
Health facility in Jinja launches 'keyhole' surgery

Africa-PressUganda. Kyabirwa Surgical Centre in Kyabirwa-Bujagali Village, Budondo Ward in Jinja City has launched laparoscopic surgery, a technique in which short, narrow tubes are inserted into the abdomen through usually less than one centimetre (keyhole] incisions.

The innovation means patients don’t have to move too far places, especially Kampala, where the procedure is reportedly costly. It is also a departure from the open surgery in which a patient’s stomach is diagonally ripped open and later stitched.

Privately founded in September 2019 by members of the Mount Sinai Health system based in the United States, the facility was constructed in a rural community and is empowered with water, internet, and solar power.

Dr Michael L Marin, the chief surgeon at Mount Sinai Health System on Friday said the narrow tubes are fitted with a light and camera so that what is happening inside the patient’s body is seen on the laparoscopic monitor fitted on a tower.

“On that television screen, we see everything inside the human body but never have to open it up; so by making a tiny little hole near the belly, we insert a small camera which sees everything inside,” Dr Marin said.

He added: “If you say, have appendicitis, you could look through this microscopic camera and see where the inflammation is, insert the vices through a tiny hole, and remove the appendix without ever having to cut a hole in the patient’s body.

Dr Marin said laparoscopy surgery can be used to treat gallbladder diseases, appendicitis, and problems with the stomach.

“In the past few days, we have treated people with gallbladder disease, those whose stomachs were sitting in the wrong part of the body and had to be moved to a new location and also operated a lady who had a large tumor that looked like she was nine months pregnant,” Dr Marin said. He added that every operation is highly subsidized because of donations and philanthropy.

Ms Anna Turumanya Karumuna, the facility director, said: “Our intent is those whose health has been compromised and can’t be helped by the current healthcare system. We have a patient who was asked to pay Shs8.5m elsewhere and we did it at ‘a responsibility’ price of Shs300,000.”

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