The reasons for getting a stoma are serious: bowel cancer, bladder cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, or an obstruction to the bladder or bowel. A stoma is an opening in the abdomen that allows waste to be diverted out of the body, often into a bag. Stomas are not enjoyable and patients with stomas are understandably disappointed if the reversals are postponed. But due to COVID-19, there was a severe backlog of stoma reversals at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH).
During the COVID-19 crisis, KCH is understandably directing all resources to the pandemic and the surgical department is only accepting emergency procedures. This, along with a backlog that existed prior to COVID-19, created a total backlog of 46 essential but non-emergency surgical procedures at KCH. Stoma reversal procedures are considered essential cases, but not emergencies.
Having a stoma for over a year is both inconvenient and potentially dangerous. The stoma reversal patients who have been waiting on KCH’s backlog have been dealing with the hygenic challenges that come with living in a rural village. They have also made the monthly trek from their home villages to KCH for new materials and maintenance, putting immense strain on their families, finances, and the hospital’s resources. The dedication of these patients to show up month after month, in the middle of a pandemic, has been incredible.
We are so proud to have facilitated the first of what we hope to be many days tackling KCH’s surgical backlog. Here are the facts:
When: Friday, October 23, 2020
Where: Kamuzu Central Hospital, a referral hospital in Lilongwe
Type of Surgeries: Stoma reversal
The Surgical Team: KCH’s surgical team came in on their off day to tackle the hospital’s backlog - truly incredible
The Goal: 4 completed stoma reversals in one day
Completed Stoma Reversals: 6 successfully completed stoma reversals!
We exceeded our goal of four completed stoma reversals by 50%!!!
Six stoma patients left KCH with their stomas successfully removed.
How’d the surgeries go? All surgeries went incredibly well and all patients were discharged without issue - the KCH surgical team is amazing and performed incredibly.
The Team: The day’s activities were supervised by KCH’s Dr. Vanessa Msosa, a longtime partner of AHA. Dr. Msosa had a different resident on each of the six stoma reversal surgeries to gain experience in a supervised
Cost: $200 total, which is an incredible $33.33 per patient!
Cost Breakdown: $100 for staff transportation & meals; $100 for surgical supplies that were out of stock at Kamuzu Central Hospital
The faces of four of the stoma reversal patients
who left KCH stoma-free!
To support future efforts to tackle KCH’s surgical backlog, you can donate here. Remember - this day’s surgeries were just $33.33 per patient!!
Even better, head to our AHA Store and pick up some great gifts while also supporting our programming!
A big THANK YOU to Dr. Vanessa Msosa for her leadership & vision in completing this project!