The Duke team brought with them not only expertise but critical tools and equipment
Since 2007, Duke neurosurgeon Michael Haglund, MD, PhD, has twice-yearly led humanitarian and training missions to the African country of Uganda. The purpose of the trips is to provide care for patients, equipment for hospitals, and training for neurosurgery residents there.
The work by the team addresses a series of issues for the Uganda people who require neurosurgical care: a limited number of neurosurgeons, the cost of care, complexities resulting from delayed care, complex traumatic brain injuries, and an overall health care infrastructure that is still developing.
In October 2023, after a 3-year hiatus caused by the pandemic, Haglund and colleagues finally returned to Uganda, this time hosted by Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.
Upon arrival, the team of 21 volunteers set to work repairing the dedicated neurosurgery operating rooms, replacing OR lights and tables, supplying functioning suction machines, and repairing surgical drills and other tools. In addition, thousands of pounds of crucial medical equipment was shipped to the hospital, including ventilators, surgical drill consoles, patient monitors, patient gowns, masks, gloves, bandages, and sutures.
The Duke team consisted of neurosurgeons, nurse anesthetists, nurses specializing in operating room and ICU care, scrub technicians, biomedical engineers, physician assistants, rehab specialists, and medical and nursing students. All team members were paired with their local counterparts at Mbarara Hospital, with Ugandan neurosurgeons and neurosurgery residents operating alongside the Duke neurosurgeons.
Gerald Grant, MD, Duke neurosurgeon and chair of the Duke Department of Neurosurgery, was among those who made the 2023 trip. “The partnership that Dr. Haglund’s team has established over the years has made a tremendous difference for those in the region in need of the neurosurgical care,” he said. “And the impact extends far beyond the operating rooms, contributing to the development of a more robust health care infrastructure."
Over the course of three days, 54 patients were seen in consultation, and 21 surgical cases were performed, including skull-base surgeries, posterior fossa tumors, spinal surgeries, convexity lesions, cranioplasties, pediatric tumor cases, and epidural hematomas.
Patients ranged in age from four months to 68 years old. They traveled from all over Uganda to receive care at no cost.
Duke Neurosurgery’s work in Uganda is supported by Duke Health, Donna Bernstein, Atec Spine, Dr. and Mrs. Michael Haglund, Medtronic, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Integra, and Americares.