MBARARA – Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) has launched a charity group that brings together patients and doctors in a bid to ensure that parents of the kids who are born without anal openings get the best services.
Dr. Martin Situma, a pediatric surgeon at MRRH said that “Anorectal malformation” support group is a charity group that intends to offer free management services to children who are born without anal openings.
He revealed that whether a mother has been attending antenatal or not, she may find herself producing a child without anal open and that to work on the conditions, the child has to undergo three medical operations.
“The first operation we make a kid pass stool on the tummy, the second one we operate behind to create the anus and the third is when we take the colostomy back to the opened anus, so some times parents need support from each other through peer support. It can also help us to know their challenges in their respective communities,” Dr. Situma narrated.
He added that this group will help them know the burden of their problem to be able to carry out integrated outreaches in various districts.
The launch which took place at the newly constructed hospital canteen was attended by parents with their anally-affected kids-who were born with this unfortunate condition and were successfully operated at MRRH.
“Before we thought of this group the numbers of kids with the condition have been overwhelming we operate over 100 kids per year and each kid has to go through three operations those are 300 operations, that’s a big number for one surgeon,” Dr. Situma narrated.
He further said that they have already created a ward where they have recruited nurses and training other staff who can also carry out operations.
He called upon parents who have had their children born with that condition to come and join the group.
Dr. Omo Alfred the head of Surgery Department at MRRH said the hospital together with Mbarara University of Science and technology is committed to ensuring that all conditions which require surgery are done within the hospital in a bid to minimize referrals.
Dr. Celestine Barigye the Hospital Director commended the work being done by Dr. Situma who is trying to connect the hospital with members of the community in solving problems.
Barigye noted that the fact that the hospital can do all the operations on a patient, they are pushing hard to ensure that they get a National Referral Hospital status.
“We have all the surgeons in place for all the conditions that’s why we want the National Referral status so that all these specialized people have theatres and get a good working environment,” said Dr. Barigye.
He warned all health workers not to discriminate patients in spite of their conditions.
“Whereas we are here in white clothes but one time we shall retire and get back to the community, we as Ugandans we should be together no discrimination not even discriminating these children who are born without anus.”
Judith Niwagaba one of the mothers of the kids who were born anally-challenged said that her kid was born with the condition until when she was referred to Mbarara regional referral hospital and her kid was successfully operated.
“The challenge is that after the operation the kid requires a lot of care, the materials we use are very expensive, but the services of operations are very free I was not charged any money”
Rev. Abel Kamanzi from Nyarubanga in Kakika division also testified that his child was born very well but was affected by this condition seven months later, developed the condition and was successfully operated at MRRH.
Dr. Barigye called upon parents whose kids were worked on to be the good ambassadors of the hospital by informing the public about all the services that are offered at the MRRH.
