Health 24 August 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Mulago Hospital Successfully Conducts 80 Life-Saving Brain Surgeries
Mulago National Referral Hospital, in collaboration with the Neurosurgical Society of Uganda, has completed a two-week neurosurgical camp, successfully performing 80 complex and life-saving brain surgeries. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/mulago-performs-80-successful-life-saving-brain-surgeries-5568678
Specialists at Mulago National Referral Hospital, in partnership with the Neurosurgical Society of Uganda, have achieved a significant milestone by successfully completing 80 complex brain surgeries. This intensive two-week intervention aimed to address a considerable backlog of patients suffering from critical conditions such as brain tumors, hydrocephalus, and skull deformities.
The “neurosurgical camp” focused on elective procedures, offering specialized care to both adult and pediatric patients who had faced prolonged waiting times for surgery. The surgeries included procedures like cranioplasties, which repair skull defects, and tumor resections to remove abnormal growths.
A multidisciplinary team comprising nine neurosurgeons from Mulago hospital and five additional specialists from the Neurosurgical Society of Uganda performed these advanced operations. They utilized sophisticated equipment, including surgical microscopes, to ensure high precision when operating on delicate brain and spinal structures.
This initiative highlights the hospital’s efforts to tackle the lengthy waiting lists for surgeries, a challenge often exacerbated by the high volume of emergency cases, particularly those resulting from road traffic accidents. Dr. Michael Edgar Muhumuza, a neurosurgeon at the hospital, previously noted that emergency cases could account for up to 40 patients per week.
The services provided during the camp were free of charge, a stark contrast to the estimated Shs40 million to Shs60 million cost of similar procedures in private health facilities. Mulago hospital provided the necessary medical team, drugs, tests, recovery space, and Intensive Care Unit beds to facilitate the successful execution of the camp.
This successful campaign underscores the critical role Mulago hospital plays in providing advanced neurosurgical care to the Ugandan population, significantly impacting the lives of numerous patients. The hospital plans to conduct such surgical camps periodically to manage patient backlogs for non-emergency procedures.