MNH Mloganzila targets excellence in reconstructive surgery

TANZANIA: MUHIMBILI National Hospital (MNH) Executive Director, Professor Mohamed Janabi announced on Thursday that the hospital’s current goal is to make its Mloganzila branch a centre of excellence in reconstructive surgery services in the East African region.

Prof Janabi made this statement during a meeting with a team of surgeons who recently conducted a reconstructive surgery camp at the facility.

The camp included experts from MNH and a specialist from India.

“We will continue to build the capacity of our specialists. In achieving our goal, we will continue to empower our specialists to get training to ensure that these procedures are performed by local experts,” Prof Janabi explained.

He added, “MNH has three important pillars: Service, Education, and Research. Therefore, as a National Hospital, we must implement these in practice because it is our duty.”

Speaking about the camp, Prof Janabi said that so far, 187 patients have undergone weight reduction surgery, with 80 per cent of the patients having had gastrointestinal surgeries.

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“We performed surgeries in three categories: some patients had balloons placed in their stomachs, others had gastro sleeve procedure, and some underwent thriugh liposuction surgery,” said Prof Janabi. Prof Janabi added that since the introduction of the service, it has yielded positive results. Some patients who had diabetes caused by obesity have seen improvements in their health after the surgery.

“In addition, to performing surgery, we have provided them with nutritional education, and they have been able to change their lifestyles. Now they eat smaller portions of food, which helps them control their blood sugar levels,” Prof Janabi said.

Meanwhile, Prof Janabi has also held discussions with experts from the Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) to identify a suitable area for a helipad to accommodate helicopters bringing patients to MNHMloganzila. According to Prof Janabi, the facility is a modern hospital with friendly infrastructure.

He added that as a National Hospital, it is important to have such a facility to ensure that in case of emergencies, patients can easily reach the hospital compared to using road transport.

“The area previously used at Muhimbili is currently unsuitable due to tall buildings. Therefore, these experts have seen it fit to visit MNH-Mloganzila to assess the environment and make decisions to eventually establish a dedicated helipad,” he noted.

Mr Pius Kazeze, the Operations Manager for Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA), expressed satisfaction with the identified area, stating that it is large and suitable, although some technical aspects still need to be addressed.