Lubango - Twenty patients/day is the average number of maxillofacial surgeries to be performed by the group of doctors involved in the “Make My Life Easier” campaign at the municipal hospitals of Matala and the Evangelical Hospital of Caluquembe.
The campaign is free and promoted by the Josina Machel Hospital, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, and its purpose is to bring consultations and surgeries closer to citizens, from the 11th to the 16th of this month.
When talking about the subject, the campaign coordinator, maxillofacial surgeon Agnelo Lucamba, said that reaching an average of 20 to 25 patients/day will depend on the complexity of the surgery, because if it is one that requires two or three specialists in the operating room, it reduces the surgical time for each specialist.
“We have a maximum of four operating rooms available and we will operate on as many patients as possible.
We brought surgical equipment for the rehabilitation of tumor removal, specific equipment for the specialty and anesthetic, with the help of the hospitals where we are being treated,” he explained.
He said that if there are cases of congenital malformations, which are more common in children, namely cleft lip and palate, the average number of operations could increase to 30 to 40, as they are simpler and there are several specialists who can perform such procedures.
The surgeon stated that today they are checking the conditions of the operating rooms in the hospitals where the consultations and surgeries will take place, as well as seeing the patients who have already undergone triage, so that they can start the activity in full on Wednesday.
Agnelo Lucamba stressed that the aim is for the numbers to increase, with greater participation from the population, as they have noticed that some patients only realize the activity at the end and that they are often complicated surgeries, which is why they need monitoring.
Although it is scheduled for the 11th to the 16th of this month, the doctor said that it could be extended because the forecast is to leave on the 18th, for Benguela and if at the end there are still patients to be operated on, they will have to think about a possible return to continue or the existing professionals will be able to respond.
He stressed that there are more complex pathologies that require a more detailed study, and when detected, they are being very cautious, registering them, in order to take them to Luanda in the near future or prepare a stronger team for later follow-up.
He gave the example of patients with doubtful pathologies who currently require chemotherapy or radiotherapy and surgery is not indicated, as well as others such as diabetics or uncontrolled hypertension, who cannot undergo the surgical procedure due to the risk of losing their lives.
The team is made up of 14 professionals, including anaesthetists, surgeons and specialist interns, all nationals, committed to the cause, in a campaign that has already been carried out in Luanda, Cunene, Moxico and Huambo, where more than a thousand patients have already undergone surgery.
After Huíla, Agnelo Lucamba announced that he will continue in Benguela and Uíge, in this first phase and later in another stage to reach all the provinces of the country and also consider taking the surgeries abroad, as the success rate is satisfactory. EM/MS/TED
