THE DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY

The Department of Surgery is one among the six departments  in  the  Directorate of Surgical Services. The overall responsiblilty of the department is to provide effective,efficiency and high quality tertiary specialized surgical services.It has three units:General Surgery,Urology and Pediatrics Surgery.

General Surgery as a unit is responsible for all surgical conditions both emergency and elective cases.The most common emergencies performed include laparatomies for pertionitis,intestinal obstruction,abdominal trauma    

and amputations for diabetic feet.  Elective surgeries  done  are like  mastectomies, thyroidectomies etc.  Other  conditions managed  are  burn injuries, Post burn contractures, post traumatic contractures, neurofibromatosis keloids, lymph oedemas, chronic ulcers, benign breast hypertrophy and pressure sores.  Through  collaboration  with  super specialists  from  MNH Upanga,  the  following  surgeries  are  done:  biliary surgeries, surgeries for gastric and colon malignancies, surgeries for empyema thoracis, thoracotomy for achalasia of the oesophagus, lung resections, and myasthenia gravis.  Endoscopic procedures, both Oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD)  and  Colonoscopy  are also  performed. 

Urology  unit  offers  super specialized  services  for  urological surgical conditions. Both open and endoscopic  surgeries are performed.  Common  conditions  which  are  managed  include  Benign Prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), Urinary bladder cancer, Prostate cancer, Urethral stricture, Hydronephrosis, Hypospadias, undescended testis, renal tumor and  Posterior Urethral Valve (PUV).  The  following  are  emergency  conditions  commonly  attended:  urinary retention, ureteric injuries, post traumatic kidneys and urinary bladder injuries.  Very  soon,  “Extracorporeal  Shock  Wave  Lithotripsy”  will  start  following  the recent  installation  of  the  machine.  

Pediatric  surgery  unit is responsible for  all  surgical cases of children under the age of eleven years  with  the  exception  of  children with the  following  conditions  who  are  managed  at  respective  units: orthopaedic, neurosurgical, urology  and  plastic conditions.  Cases  commonly  seen  include  hernias, anorectal malformations, hirschsprungs disease and Paediatric tumors.  Laparatomy  is  a  common  emergency  procedure  done  for  the  following  conditions: peritonitis,  intestinal obstruction, hernias, and trauma.