Spine Surgeon Brings New Equipment, Renewed Hope To Tanzania:
Humanitarian Mission Spares Patient From Paralysis
One to 13,000,000! That is the ratio of neurosurgeon(s) to Tanzanians. There is one fully certified neurosurgeon for 13,000,000 people. Not good odds. But hope has been renewed by a humanitarian mission carried out by expert spine surgeon, Dr. Roger Härtl. Dr. Härtl had been collaborating with colleagues in Tanzania, and traveled to East Africa in order to deliver life-saving surgical equipment worth $432,000 that was generously donated by the company Synthes Spine, as well as a drill to perform neurosurgical and spinal procedures from Anspach. The President of Tanzania thanked the United States, the companies involved, and Dr. Härtl at a celebration dinner.
Dr. Härtl learned first-hand about the bleak situation regarding neurosurgical coverage in East Africa from President Kikwete of Tanzania. Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI) harbors the only neurosurgical facility in Tanzania. The week Dr. Härtl visited Tanzania, he noticed that the one and only MRI machine was under repair.
And in fact, lack of equipment has been the major challenge, the lack of "high-tech" equipment to be exact - until now. The equipment that Dr. Härtl facilitated for MOI allowed him to perform, together with the local neurosurgeon Dr. Kinasha, four surgeries the first day. With the new spinal instrumentation he brought, he was able to fuse a spinal fracture immediately with the patient recovering well. For another, an elderly man who fell from a coconut tree, he utilized screws and an autograft from the bone to fuse a fracture. This man was bed-ridden and heading for paralysis.
Dr. Härtl also provided a training lecture while at MOI.
President Kikwete noted the "personal courage of Dr. Härtl" in carrying out this vital mission to Tanzania providing a boost to neurosurgical care.
Contact Us
For your convenience, we offer several options for scheduling an appointment.
Request an Appointment Online.
Phone
(866) 426-7787
(212) 746-4684
Office Hours
Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Emergency Department,
NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell
(212) 746-5026
