Tanzania: Anaesthesia Fears Delay Surgeries At Bugando
Bugando Zonal Referral Hospital in Tanzania is struggling with patient delays for surgery due to widespread misconceptions about anaesthesia. The hospital is launching public education campaigns to address fears that anaesthesia is dangerous or equivalent to death.
Why it matters
Medical misinformation can lead to patients avoiding necessary surgeries, resulting in worsened health outcomes and increased medical complications.
Mwanza - FEAR of anaesthesia, fuelled by misconceptions about its safety, is among the challenges facing Bugando Zonal Referral Hospital, with some patients postponing or abandoning surgical procedures until their conditions become more complicated.
Head of the hospital's Anaesthesia Department, Dr Rebecca Shija, said initial assessments had identified misconceptions surrounding anaesthesia as one of the reasons some patients were reluctant to undergo surgery.
Speaking during the commemoration of World Anaesthesia Day at the hospital yesterday, Dr Shija said some people wrongly believed that anaesthesia was equivalent to half-death, creating unnecessary fear about undergoing surgical procedures.
She said others feared that spinal anaesthesia, which involves administering medication into the fluid-filled space surrounding the spinal cord, could cause permanent back pain.
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