Hospitals in the country have been advised to buy equipment for performing specialised operations so that locally based surgeons who learn the new techniques can apply them.
The call was made on Saturday by Dr Mkiramweni Peter Head of the Department of Surgery at Hubert Kairuki Memorial University during a demonstrative stapler operation on a haemorrhoids patient carried out at Mission Mikocheni hospital by the visiting Dr Roy Patankar from Joy Hospital in India.
Dr Peter said it was important for hospitals to purchase such equipment to reduce inconveniences encountered by surgeons due to lack of tools.
Commenting on the demonstrative stapler surgery carried out on Saturday Dr Peter said that the new technique has many benefits compared to the old one.
“This new technique is time saving where the procedure takes half an hour while the old technique takes up to one hour,” he said.
He also said the patient does not feel pain after the operation. There is also no loss of blood, he said, adding that the patient need not spend much time at the hospital. One can be discharged the same day after the operation or after 24 hours.
He said that applying the new technique ensured the recurrence rate was less than 1pc while with the old system recurrence rate of the disease was 25 percent or more.
Commenting on the cost Dr Peter said that stapler surgery can cost up to 1.5m/- while the old technique known as open haemorrhoidectomy cost between 600,000/- and 700,000/- .
“The cost of stapler surgery is high because it involves purchase of a stapler kit which is sold at 420 USD. Even though the procedure is costly, it has many benefits,” Dr Peter said.
He called on the health insurance companies to look into the possibilities of covering the cost so that many more people can benefit from the new technique.
Dr Peter said the process was underway to include minimal invasive surgery training into all health universities.
Dr Erick Muhumba a surgeon at Mission Mikocheni said the operation without incision was a good procedure which needed to be studied by each surgeon.
He cited the stapler surgery saying it was a simple procedure to learn and has many benefits compared to the old technique.
Dr Hussein Msuma a resident surgeon for HKMU called upon the government to subsidise the equipment needed for laparoscopic surgery so that it can be affordable to all groups in the society.
Dr Patankar announced on Friday that his hospital will offer free training for Tanzanian surgeons to carry out laparoscopic surgery so as to make the technology accessible to all patients regardless of their status.
The visiting doctor said the Tanzanian surgeons who will go to India for training will only be required to cover their travel and accommodation costs.
He said his visit was aimed at building confidence in surgeons so that they can perform the surgery within the country.
By LYDIA SHEKIGHENDA, The Guardian
