Special Weeks: Hydrocephalus Operations
In line with its vision to transform lives and reform communities through sustainable health care solutions, Celebration Health facilitated the free treatment of 48 cases of Hydrocephalus in children at Harare Children’s Hospital from the 18 to the 29th of May 2009. Hydrocephalus is a condition in which the primary characteristic is excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain. The excessive accumulation of CSF results in an abnormal widening of spaces in the brain and this creates potentially harmful pressure on the tissues of the brain.
Celebration Health conducted this program in partnership with World Children Fund and with expertise from the University of Zimbabwe's College of Health Sciences in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare. The objectives of the program were to:
- Provide relief to poor and disadvantaged children who cannot afford the exorbitant fees charged in private hospitals. A single operation in a private hospital costs at least $1200.
- Provide an opportunity for training for doctors and radiographers.
- Reduce the case backlog.
Harare Children’s Hospital opened its doors to the public in March after being closed for over 3 months. Prior to its closure, the hospital carried out an average of two hydrocephalus operations a month. In the eleven days that the program ran, the team managed to perform 48 ventriculo-peritoneal shunt installations- almost double the hospitals yearly quota. Apart from inserting shunts, the team performed a variety of other operations including tumour excisions and repair of spina bifida.
A large number of the 48 patients were from as far as Zvishavane, Gokwe, Mutoko, Kwekwe, Bulawayo and Masvingo. We also had parents bring in their children from high density areas in Harare such as Budiriro, Highfield, Kuwadzana and Chitungwiza. Most of the people knew about the operations from the spot adverts on the radio sponsored by Econet.
Although only 48 operations were performed in the first of the program’s three phases, many children went through the screening process and will be operated on in the next two phases set for 2010. In total, up to 200 children are expected to benefit from these operations.
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