Story by Abigirl Tembo, Health Editor
AT least 150 children are set to benefit from a free tonsillectomy surgical camp, which is underway at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare as government accelerates access to quality health care services.
With a target of operating 25 children a day for the next five days, doctors at the hospital are hoping to clear the backlog of children with tonsillitis which had accumulated during the COVID-19 area.
Parents and guardians coming from as far as Hwange, Bulawayo, Chiredzi and Mt Darwin commended government for the free surgical procedure which costs an average of US$1 000 at private hospitals.
“My two children aged 10 months and four years both had tonsillitis and they had surgeries today and I am really grateful to government for this programme because they were all struggling to breathe and as a mother it pained me,” said a parent.
“I came all the way from Nyanga with my 7-year-old girl and she has been booked for an operation for tomorrow and I am really grateful,” said another.
Yet another parent noted, “For the past 9 years, my daughter has been struggling with tonsils but it got worse this year, the problem was I couldn’t raise the $1000 needed.”
Ear, nose and throat specialist, Dr Ruvimbo Nzvenge, who is leading the team of specialists urged parents to adopt good health seeking behaviours.
“If left untreated, some children may have difficulties in breathing, which might lead in them having difficulties in feeding which might lead to malnutrition, Some also have problems with growth because their heart will be using more effort to pump blood, hence they may end up with heart problems. The word of advice to parents is that snoring is not a common thing so if your child is snoring take them to the nearest health care facility let them be assessed. If your child has a recurrent sore throat also take them for assessment,” he explained.
Sally Mugabe Children’s Hospital, which is the country’s biggest children‘s referral hospital, runs a weekly clinic where an average 14 children undergo tonsillectomy surgeries.
A tonsillectomy is surgery to remove the tonsils, which are lumps of tissue on both sides of the back of the throat that help the immune system protect the body from infections.