Table 3.
Indications for surgical procedures for children in the public healthcare sector in Uganda (2013–2014)
| General hospital 1276 patients, n (%) |
Regional referral hospital 4475 patients, n (%) |
National Referral Hospital 2135 patients, n (%) |
Total 7886 patients, n (%) |
|
| Abdominal and colorectal symptoms and conditions (n=3774) | ||||
| Groin hernia and hydrocoele | 499 (39.1) | 650 (14.5) | 120 (5.6) | 1269 (16.1) |
| Peritonitis | 49 (3.8) | 318 (7.1) | 106 (5.0) | 473 (6.0) |
| Umbilical hernia | 113 (8.9) | 185 (4.1) | 72 (3.4) | 370 (4.7) |
| Gut perforation | 31 (2.4) | 240 (5.4) | 61 (2.9) | 332 (4.2) |
| Imperforate anus | 13 (1.0) | 109 (2.4) | 163 (7.6) | 285 (3.6) |
| Intussusception | 18 (1.4) | 130 (2.9) | 126 (5.9) | 274 (3.5) |
| Intestinal obstruction | 47 (3.7) | 124 (2.8) | 89 (4.2) | 260 (3.2) |
| Appendicitis | 24 (1.9) | 60 (1.3) | 42 (2.0) | 126 (1.6) |
| Abdominal injuries (blunt and penetrating) | 10 (0.8) | 62 (1.4) | 37 (1.7) | 109 (1.4) |
| Ruptured spleen | 12 (0.9) | 60 (1.3) | 18 (0.8) | 90 (1.1) |
| Colostomy/closure of colostomy | 10 (0.8) | 44 (1.0) | 20 (0.9) | 74 (1.0) |
| Others | 19 (1.5) | 74 (1.7) | 19 (0.9) | 112 (1.4) |
| Orthopaedic conditions (n=1264) | ||||
| Orthopaedic trauma | 62 (4.9) | 366 (8.2) | 224 (10.5) | 652 (8.2) |
| Chronic osteomyelitis and septic arthritis | 137 (10.7) | 254 (5.7) | 82 (3.8) | 473 (6.0) |
| Clubfoot | 61 (4.8) | 53 (1.2) | 25 (1.2) | 139 (1.8) |
| Total | 260 (20.4) | 673 (15.0) | 331 (15.5) | 1264 (16.0) |
| Ear, nose and throat conditions (n=721) | ||||
| Tonsillitis/enlarged adenoids/foreign body, goitre | 1 (0) | 548 (12.2) | 172 (8.0) | 721 (9.1) |
| Urology (n=444) | ||||
| Cryptorchidism | 30 (2.4) | 63 (1.4) | 12 (0.6) | 105 (1.3) |
| Testicular torsion | 8 (0.6) | 41 (0.9) | 36 (1.7) | 85 (1.1) |
| Others | 7 (0.5) | 138 (3.1) | 107 (5.0) | 251 (3.2) |
| Neurosurgical conditions (n=316) | ||||
| Spina bifida, hydrocephalus, meningocele, subdural haemorrhage, trauma | 0 (0.0) | 135 (3.0) | 181 (8.5) | 316 (4.0) |
| Congenital heart disease (n=122) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 122 (5.7) | 122 (1.5) |
| Plastic surgical conditions (n=503) | ||||
| Cleft lip and palate | 27 (2.1) | 107 (2.4) | 10 (0.5) | 144 (1.8) |
| Burns (acute and secondary surgery) | 50 (3.9) | 243 (5.4) | 66 (3.1) | 359 (4.6) |
| Malignancies (n=92) | 1 (0.1) | 68 (1.5) | 24 (1.1) | 92 (1.1) |
| Others*, (n=896) | 67 (5.3) | 630 (14.1) | 212 (9.9) | 896 (11.4) |
| Not indicated (n=51) | 7 (0.5) | 36 (0.8) | 8 (0.4) | 51 (0.6) |
*Indications with ≤1% were grouped together under ‘others’. Some patients had more than one indication for surgery; hence, total number of conditions and symptoms exceeds number of patients.