First ever brain tumour surgey in Malawi successful at Kamuzu Central Hospital led by neurosurgeon Kumwenda 

February 15, 2019 Chris Loka – Nyasa Times 66 Comments

A 37-year-old woman who was diagnosed with brain tumour can now afford a smile after doctors and medical practitioners at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) have this week performed their first ever surgical operation on her since the hospital opened its doors in the 1970s.

Neurosurgeon Kumwenda and his team performing a surgery on the brain
Kamuzu Central hospital Director Dr. Jonathan Ngoma : Excited with in house successful operation

The complex procedure of removing a brain tumour was performed after the woman explained a long history of severe headache which was not responding to medications and was associated with progressive loss of vision.

According to reports, well-wishers sponsored the woman to undergo a Computed Tomography (CT) scan of the brain at a private facility where the Brain Tumour described as a craniopharyngioma was diagnosed.

As a response to the problem surgery was planned and executed by neurosurgeon Dr. Ken-Keller Kumwenda with support from a team of local doctors, nurses and anesthetists.

Speaking in an interview with Nyasa Times,  Dr. Ken-Keller Kumwenda said the Tumour was located deep at a critical area of the brain but was successfully removed during the delicate operation which took approximately five hours.

“Brain tumours may cause effects that have an impact on your quality of life. They can affect different parts of the brain which control different functions. This means that the effects of a brain tumour you may experience depends on the location, its size and its aggressiveness,” he said

According to Kumwenda, the patient has since embarked on a path of recovery which has so far been smooth.

He further indicated that it is pathetic that there are many patients who suffer from such conditions of the brain but many of them go undiagnosed something which puts one’s life at risk.

Kamuzu Central hospital Director Dr. Jonathan Ngoma said he was very excited with the in house operation saying in the past patients were being referred to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre and even outside the country for treatment.

“Due to scarcity of resources such  as imaging equipment and qualified medical personnel. Most of these patients have been sent abroad and more recently to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre for treatment but now we are happy that people will be treated here,” he said

Ngoma also bemoaned lack of more qualified neurosurgeons and equipment like CT scan which at the moment the hospital doesn’t have.

“Malawi has only two practicing neurosurgeons for a population of over 16 million people, this is against the WHO recommended ratio of 1 neurosurgeon to 100,000 population, therefore we need to have more neurosurgeons,” he said.

He added: “We are currently mobilizing resources from our partners in Norway and also from within, we really need to have all the necessary equipment so that Dr. Kumwenda can perform his duties without difficulties”.

Ngoma said among other things Brain tumour causes sight problems, Depression, fatigue, communication difficulties and Memory difficulties.

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66 replies on “First ever brain tumour surgey in Malawi successful at Kamuzu Central Hospital led by neurosurgeon Kumwenda ”

  1. Surely believing that the region that you come from makes you intelligent is evidence enough that you are not intelligent.

  2. We are proud of you Dr Kumwenda. The country has been blessed to have a specialist like you. May God bless you.

  5. What if this surgeon was a victim of this Draconian evil QUOTA? How much has Malawi lost due to this satanic policy of denying bright deserving students chiefly from the north?
    Please get in Mr Chilima and end this evil.

  8. This is good development. I lost my brother with the same kind of tumor. When Chakwera take over the government he need to look on this matter.

  12. Bravo Doctor Kumwenda and your team , Glory be to Almighty God pray for more knowledge. God bless you all .

    1. Iwe Mangochi Kabwafu stop speaking as if smart students come from the North only. This is delusionary. Check results at Kamuzu Academy and MCA where exams are not local.. I wrote Cambridge exams and had 10 students from the North in the Class. Two only were selected for a degree course but the second one was weeded in the second year. Another one was selected for a Diploma. By contrast 5 were selected for Diploma courses and 5 for Degree courses from other regions and achieved.them.
      But in spite of people like you I commend and congratulate Dr Kumwenda for this landmark event. He is the son of Malawi.

  16. Government should preserve this knowledge..and cultivate more on it… and make sure rich countries don’t steal the little we have..

    Rich countries steal the best from Africa and leaves us with puppets…

    1. Don’t blame the west, it’s our problem. Madokotola a MOH Amene amagwira ntchito zipatalamu amalandila zolira heavy, mwinanso vendor yemwe akugulitsa Matabwa pa 25 Ali bho. Nde when the reality hits these kind of doctors amadya ma frustration heavy!!!

    3. Brain surgery has ben performed everywhere in the world (except Malawi) for the last 70 years. Biomedicine is s product of the West and not vice versa! Your statement would only make sense if they had cured the tumor using Malawian traditional medicine. This type of ignorance really boggles!!!

      1. Luckson, it looks like you missed the point being discussed here. It is about brain draining of our already few Doctors to the Western Countries. We are not saying we have invented the Surgical technique for removing brain tumor in Malawi

  17. NEUROSURGEON-KUMWENDA BRAVO!!!!!!!!!! Quota system or no quota system,Northerners will continue to lead for the betterment of our nation.Mind you,no Northerners no Malawi,the gift given by GOD no one will grab it back.Where has your tribalism machination reached? We are all Malawians and Africans and we must treat each other with love and respect is when our beloved Malawi will prosper further.Like it or not,Northerners will never abandon their fellow Malawians as the Central and South have done.BRAVO CHILIMA THE PATRIOTIC LEADER OF OUR NATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  19. These are the people who should be eating our taxes! Well done Dr. Kumwenda and of course your team! We need to get different leadership that prioritizes and rewards such NOT mediocrity

  23. congrats doctor Keller kumwenda, taking after Dr Keller who was also a great gynecologist at LCH. Proud of you

  28. We are so grateful to God almighty for the healing and are so thankful to Doctor Kumwenda and the team, please provide them with the necessary resources so soon as possible and make their work more easier.

  31. These are the type of Malawians we want osati kukhalira kuba. This is the new generation. Moto kuti buuuuuu.

    1. True Nyasatime. You have been in the “negative” for too long may be now it’s time to change course and go in the “positive” direction. Remember you are online and anyone around the world can access your news. Suja or pa khomo pakamabwera alendo timasesa kaya ndi pa sitting room pokha? Or zofunda suja amakabwereka anthu kwa a neba.

  33. BRAVO DR KUMWENDA. ALMOST ALL PATIENTS OPERATED BY DR KAMALO DONT SURVIVE BECAUSE NOT MONITORED CLOSELY SINCE HE DEMANDS K20.000.00 TO MONITOR HIS OWN PATIENTS. I LOST MY MUM IN DECEMBER 2017.

    3. You are an idiot. Dr Kamalo successfully operated on my father and he is still alive 4 yrs on Onop of that he is a consultant surgeon, in several hospitals in RSA.
      So you want him to monitor them for free, and this patient sanatuluke mkomwe mwayamba kutokota

  35. Am very excited to here this. This is what Malawi needs not mediocrity. Bravo Dr. Kumwenda and the team that made this possible.

  38. This is good news…although you are saying patients were in the past being reffered to Blantyre Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital…but I have never heard of such news…all what we have been hearing on TV is about pple soliciting money to go to INDIA…

    As a Malawian am very happy of this news……

    So this means we can now walk with our bare feets from Dowa to Kamuzu Central Hospital without an Air ticket or Passport… Ooohhhh…this is great..

    1. Yes they were being done in QECH just never publicised. He is the newest and young neurosurgeon.. Hence the trumpet i guess. Bravo Malawi

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