Prime
Tanzanian child survives 10-hour brain surgery in recent medical breakthrough
A team of specialist surgeons from the United States, working with doctors at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), perform brain surgery on a child who had lived with a long-standing tumour. PHOTO|CORTERSY
What you need to know:
- Speaking on the operation conducted on June 26, 2025, Prof Michael Lawton, president of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, said the procedure required extraordinary precision due to the tumour’s size and location.
Moshi. A team of neurosurgeons from the United States, working in collaboration with Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), has successfully removed a large brain tumour from a three-year-old child during a complex 10-hour surgical procedure.
The visiting experts are in Tanzania for a five-day neurosurgical camp and have, so far, performed operations on seven out of ten patients diagnosed with tumours affecting the brain and nervous system.
Speaking on the operation conducted on June 26, 2025, Prof Michael Lawton, president of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, said the procedure required extraordinary precision due to the tumour’s size and location.
“We are here at KCMC for a week and have so far performed brain surgery on seven patients—most of them children. Yesterday, we successfully removed a large tumour from the brain of a three-year-old, who is now recovering well,” said Prof Lawton.
“This was the first time in my career I’ve performed a 10-hour operation. It was necessary because the tumour was exceptionally large and had affected a significant portion of the brain,” he added.
Prof Lawton credited the success to modern medical technology and the team’s extensive expertise, noting that the initiative seeks to expand access to specialised neurosurgical care in Tanzania.
“This surgery not only saved the child’s life, but it also highlights what can be achieved through international collaboration in the health sector,” he added.
A KCMC neurosurgeon specialising in brain, spine, and nerve operations, Dr Happiness Rabiel, said ten patients were selected for highly complex procedures during the current camp—among them the three-year-old child, whose case proved the most challenging.
“This week, we assembled a group of patients in need of advanced neurosurgical intervention, beyond the routine cases we typically handle at KCMC. Yesterday, we conducted an unusually long procedure lasting more than nine hours,” said Dr Rabiel.
She confirmed that, as of Thursday, seven operations had been completed, and all patients were recovering well.
Dr Rabiel noted that since the neurosurgical unit’s establishment at KCMC in 2022, it has treated between 400 and 600 patients annually.
“This is our first dedicated surgical camp since launching the partnership with the Barrow Neurological Institute. The target is to complete ten operations in five days—two surgeries per day,” she said.
She added that brain tumours can arise from various causes, with common symptoms including persistent headaches, vision loss, seizures in adults, and partial paralysis.
A neurosurgeon from the Barrow Institute, Dr Kerry Vaughan, described brain tumour operations as delicate and highly complex, requiring utmost concentration.
He expressed pride in the team’s success, particularly with the case of the young child.
“We are grateful to KCMC and to the Tanzanian people for supporting this initiative. We’re conducting surgery daily—it is demanding, but we approach it with dedication and care. We thank God the child is now recovering well,” said Dr Vaughan.
