The doctors at MOI had been relying on the CT-scan machine owned by the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) to diagnose brain complications but for over three months now, the experts have had to contend with the lack of the key apparatus in treating patients.
Dar es Salaam. Surgeons at the Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute (MOI) are facing difficulty deciding when to carry out brain surgery on patients who suffer head injuries and other brain disorders, due to the lack of a working CT-scan at the institute.
The doctors at MOI had been relying on the CT-scan machine owned by the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) to diagnose brain complications but for over three months now, the experts have had to contend with the lack of the key apparatus in treating patients.
This reporter witnessed a doctor who had decided to walk from his office in the company of a patient, a 27 year old woman, to MOI’s Social Welfare office, to plead for assistance in accessing a CT-scan test at a private hospital. The patient had developed symptoms which suggested she could be suffering from a brain tumour.
“This patient has been suffering from persistent headaches for a while now. She has started developing visual complications, yet she cannot afford a CT-scan. I beg your office to intervene,” the doctor (whose name could not be identified immediately) pleaded, as he stormed the office of MOI’s Public Relations and Social Welfare for help.
A survey by The Citizen at MOI’s emergency unit established that there were cases of patients (six counted) who had sustained serious head injuries in a motor traffic accident, and doctors said it was taking too long to establish if their brains had been affected or not.
The situation was attributed to the lack of a working CT-scan machine and the failure of the patients—as well as their relatives—to afford an emergency CT-scan test at private health facilities.
A doctor at the unit told The Citizen that the staff are forced to do counseling guidance to the relatives of the patients, due to the fact that some(relatives) appear ‘’shocked’’ when they are told about the cost of accessing the CT-scan test at private health facilities. ‘’Some even opt to run away and leave their patients here with us,’’ said Dr Hamisi Kinyerero.
"In scenarios where there is no CT-scan or when it is not immediately available, it is also very difficult to arrive at a correct diagnosis especially for patients who suffer head trauma,’’ said Dr Dr Kinyerero, the Medical Officer who was on duty at the emergency unit.
"You see, when these patients sustain head injuries, they could develop internal bleeding and sometimes end up dying,’’ noted medic as he referred to many cases of motor accident victims who lost lives due to what he termed as Traumatic Brain Injury(TBI).
"Sometimes we opt to keep monitoring the progress of the patients without being sure of their brain status,’’ said Dr Kinyerero.
According to MOI’s Senior Public Relations and Social Welfare Manager, Mr Juma Almas, the institute has been more adversely affected by the absence of a CT-scan, being the main centre for Neuro/brain surgery in the country.
