Theatre
Mseleni Hospital has 2 operating theatres.
All the doctors are capable surgeons and students are welcome to watch and
may have the opportunity to assist. On Monday afternoons elective surgery is
performed. Theatre staff consist of one sister/staff nurse and nursing students.
The most common operations carried out are:
- Laparotomy
- Amputation
- Hernia repairs
- Tubal ligation
- Circumcision
Mseleni Joint Disease is a
local arthritis which affects mainly the hips. As a result, approximately 2
total hip replacements are performed every week by Dr Fredlund
and Dr Viljoen. A T.H.R. is done under local anaesthetic and takes less than 2 hours to complete.
The hospital has a large maternity section, and also has houses for women who
are heavily pregnant and come to stay near the hospital while they wait for
the baby to be born. Approximately 15-20 caesarean sections are performed
every month. The length of time a c-section takes varies widely, depending on
the condition of both mother and baby. September is a particularly busy time
of year for giving birth.
The hospital is currently
taking part in a nationwide circumcision campaign to improve sexual health
and reduce transmission of STDs. The doctors aim to perform 30,000
circumcisions this year.
