Free thyroid camp resumes at Lacor Hospital after 3-year lull
Mukurasi said they are conducting 6–8 surgeries on a daily basis, while those who are operated on spend 2-3 days in the hospital before they are discharged.
By Christopher Nyeko
Gulu: A team of surgeons led by Dr. Roberto Santoro from the University of Florence, Italy, have pitched camp at St. Mary Hospital Lacor to conduct surgery on people suffering from goiter.
The three-week thyroid annual camp, which is underway at St. Mary Hospital Lacor, started on the 4th and is expected to end on the 19th this month.
This annual health camp was initiated in 2012 by Dr. Roberto Santoro; however it was suspended for about 3 years due to the Corona and Ebola outbreaks in Uganda, but this year, as it resumed, the camp has witnessed a surge in the number of patients seeking goiter surgery.
In an exclusive interview with ugreports.co.ug, Dr. Roberto Santoro said they chose to partner with Lacor Hospital because there are a high number of patients in its catchment area.
He revealed that the camp is fully sponsored by the movement of Ital, adding that they are conducting the surgery for free, but the patients are required to pay for consultation fees at the outpatient department.
According to Dr. Derick Mukurasi, the coordinator of the 2024 thyroid camp, a total of 80 patients who booked for the camp between November and December last year have been screened for the operation, of whom 46 operated and 12 were already discharged from the hospital after a successful operation as of Friday last week.
One patient came from Busai, while the majorities are from Acholi and Lango, which is the catchment area for Lacor Hospital. 79 out of 80 screened patients are female, and only one patient is a male.
Mukurasi said they are conducting 6–8 surgeries on a daily basis, while those who are operated on spend 2-3 days in the hospital before they are discharged.
According to Dr. Mukurasi, goiter is still a burden in northern Uganda due to iodine deficiency in food and water, autoimmune reactions, and allergic reactions. ‘’Women are more prone to thyroid diseases than men because of the autoimmune nature of many thyroid disorders,’’ he noted.
Adoch Catherine, 28, a mother of two and a casual laborer from Lira City, after the successful operation, appreciated the surgeon for removing a big swelling around her neck, something she says was stopping her from doing hard work.
Adoch says she started feeling pain around her neck in 2022; the condition deteriorated in 2023 until she heard on the local radio about the free medical camp taking place at Lacor. She reveals that she has spent about four hundred thousand shillings on treating the condition but never got healed.
Another patient, Aciro Florence, 45, a peasant farmer from Pabo town council Amuru district, is hopeful that when she heals from the operation, she will resume garden work, saying she has been unable to work in her garden for the last 22 years.
Aciro’s condition manifested in 2002, which barred her from doing any hard work for her family, leaving only her husband to bring food to the table for the entire family.
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