By Phephile Motau
The Clinic Group has successfully carried out a 16-hour complex operation on a pancreatic cancer patient.
This was probably the first time the operation, known as a Whipple procedure was carried out in Eswatini and was done at the Mbabane Clinic on Friday.
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The operation took place from 8:00 am until midnight. The Clinic Group Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director Dr Khotso Ramphele said the operation is very complex and is carried out by specialist surgeons.
He said they brought in two surgeons from Zambia and others were from Eswatini. Dr Ramphele said they are hoping to continue carrying out such cutting-edge operations at the Clinic Group and they are well-equipped to do so.
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He added that the patient was a 63-year-old man who was very lucky to have been diagnosed at an early stage of his cancer. He said most patients are usually diagnosed with pancreatic cancer very late, and 85 per cent live only for up to 12 months after that.
Dr Ramphele said they were hoping to partner with more hospitals from Africa to be able to conduct such complex operations on other patients in need of them.