About thirty neuro-patients were operated on at Mulago Hospital between Monday July 27 and July 30. This is about 10% of operations of that nature done in Mulago in a year.

Neurosurgeons, anaesthetists and nurses from Duke University in the United States of America were at Mulago Hospital training staff and operating on patients under a special partnership between their institution and Mulago Hospital's department of neurosurgery.

This is a big blessing to Uganda which has only four neurosurgeons; Dr. Michael Muhumuza, Dr. J.B Mukasa, Dr. Hussein Ssenyonjo and Dr. Joel Kiryabwire and has a population of about 30 million people. The four doctors all based at Mulago Hospital are obviously overstretched. Being that we are a nation that grapples with inadequate facilities, it also follows that the facilities (machines) are inadequate.

On average, the surgeons handle 350 non-accident cases a year. This involves carrying out surgery on patients with tumours, those that have infections, patients that experience the hemorrhagic stroke and the spinal disc herniation (mistakenly known as a slipped disc) and those patients (children usually) that are born with malformations. As long as the disease is affecting the brain, spine and spinal code, it has to be handled by the four neurosurgeons.

However, if trauma patients (accident cases) are included among those treated by the neurosurgeons per year, the number goes up to 500 patients.

Muhumuza says that trauma cases have been the commonest but recently, they have been surging even higher and the majority of the victims are boda-boda riders who get involved in accidents too often or who are sometimes clobbered on the head by thieves seeking to steal their motorcycles.

Muhumuza reports that on Saturday morning, July 25, three cyclists were brought in and these needed surgery. However, operating on each patient lasts a day and the main theatre is not readily available because other surgeons perform surgeries there too. Patients like those boda-boda riders needed immediate attention but it wouldn't be forthcoming because of resource constraints.

Another problem that bedevils the neurosurgery department is the fact that not many students are willing to study anaesthesia and so it follows that there are few anaesthetists to work with.

The Duke University has also donated equipment, like vital signs monitors, microscopes, drills, anaesthesia machines and theatre supplies like sutures, all worth 3 billion shillings to the Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic and Urology departments of Mulago. This means that pressure on resources especially those of the Intensive Care Unit has been reduced.

Prof. Haglund Michael, the Head of Neurosurgery at Duke University took an interest in Mulago after he visited the country as a tourist in 2006. He was touched by how pathetic the Neurosurgery department looked.

Neurosurgery is a delicate procedure that if not done well, can be fatal. Neurosurgeons therefore need proper facilities to work well and this was not the case when Prof. Haglund visited. The neurosurgeons were few and the facilities stretched. He therefore sought to help through the donations.

Also, starting June next year, every six months, a neurosurgeon from Duke University will visit Mulago Hospital to help in surgery and do some training. An exchange programme will be initiated too where two neurosurgery students from Mulago will go to Duke and some from Duke will come to Mulago for training.

Dr. Edward Ddumba, the Director of Mulago Hospital hopes that this will entice more students to join neurosurgery. On his part, Muhumuza, the lead neurosurgeon says that these developments have helped them "gain more confidence".