WITH Kitwe Teaching Hospital (KTH) geared to do facial reconstruction surgery on seven people on Monday, an eighth patient has opted to instead seek prayers to get rid of his tumor.
The patient, who is believed to have Ameloblastoma, a rare non cancerous tumour which often develops in the jaw area, instead decided to travel to Uganda to seek healing from a named pastor.
The patient is believed to have approached the health facility seeking a referral letter to travel to go and have his tumor removed through prayers, however, hospital personnel declined as he needs serious surgical intervention.
Also among the patients that are set to be operated on is a 13-year-old child whose tumor if left unattended to, stands to have it grow to the size of a head.
The patients who will be operated on are from Luanshya, Ndola, Kalulushi and Kitwe.
The conditions being operated for are Ameloblastoma and sub manibular fibroma.
KTH Dental Surgeon and Head of Dental and maxillofacial Doctor Dominic Muswala in an interview with Mwebantu said he received a patient seeking a referral letter to have his tumour removed through prayer.
“We have one patient who was supposed to be operated on as he has Ameloblastoma. He came to say he is going for prayers and so he wanted a letter because their is some pastor in Uganda. It is quite a big tumour, but he has been convinced from whatever church he goes to. However, I told him I cannot give a letter,” he said.
Dr Muswala said that it was sad that the man insisted to go for prayers, instead of undergoing surgery.
“Prayer should be coupled with surgery. But he has insisted that he just needs prayers,” he said.
Dr Muswala also said however, that seven others will undergo surgery on Monday, June 5th and among the seven is a 13-year-old child.
“It is a condition we call fibrous displeasure where cells of the bone overgrow. It’s is a deformity. If it is left , sometimes without being attended to, it grows to the size of the head, making a patient seem like they have two heads. It is quite big and is near the nose and eye area, so we need to remove it,” he said.
He noted that the surgical procedures will take around four to five hours.
Dr Muswala added that the surgical procedures will be done by him and Dr Christopher Kapeshi, a consultant Maxillofacial surgeon based at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH).
