A Chinese doctor examines a child at Confident Children out of Conflict (CCC) in Juba, capital of South Sudan, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Photo by Denis Elamu/Xinhua)
Eight-year-old Gusphers Lokwete could have passed on in the next several months if members of the tenth batch of the Chinese medical team had not recently met his family members in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
JUBA, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Eight-year-old Gusphers Lokwete could have passed on in the next several months if members of the tenth batch of the Chinese medical team had not recently met his family members in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
Lokwete's mother Rebecca Lohure and his uncle Peter Ochan had been constantly moving between their home in Torit town of Eastern Equatoria state to Juba in search of treatment for ailing Lokwete who had lost weight because of not eating enough. The condition which started in August 2022 left Lokwete unable to move for long distances, according to his uncle Ochan.
"We took him to a hospital in Torit where they told us that the CT scan and X-ray were not functioning. We were forwarded to Juba Teaching Hospital in October 2022," Ochan told Xinhua in Juba Monday, adding that his family met the Chinese doctors two weeks ago at Juba Teaching Hospital, and the doctors cared much about the condition of the child.
The Chinese doctors conducted a CT scan for Lokwete on Feb. 7 and the results confirmed the boy had Lymphangiomas, a noncancerous fluid-filled cyst that grows often on the head and neck. These cysts form when lymph fluid backs up and does not flow normally through tissues. Most lymphangiomas do not need treatment, but that of this child must be removed surgically.
A Chinese doctor does gastroscopy assisted by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) acupuncture anesthesia at the Juba Teaching Hospital in Juba, South Sudan, on Sept. 21, 2022. (Photo by Denis Elamu/Xinhua)
Peng Chunwei, the general surgeon who led the surgical operation, said Lokwete had in the last six months been unable to eat enough food which could have cost his life. "If we did not do the operation the child would have died of malnutrition in the next several months from now, he was unable to eat and had lost weight," Peng said.
Peng said that Lymphangiomas are common among children in South Sudan and are never detected early enough because the children are never taken for routine medical checkups.
Peng expressed optimism that Lokwete will live normally after undergoing the operation successfully. This operation is the first such case among children to be handled by his team.
The Chinese doctors supported the family to undergo the operation and pathological testing for free, including preoperational tests. The Chinese medical team also provided glucose, milk and antibiotics to the family of the boy to help him recuperate after the operation.
Since the independence of South Sudan in 2011, Chinese medical teams have been offering free medical services as well as capacity building for local health workers and medical students. The tenth batch of the Chinese medical team started to work in South Sudan in September 2022 after arriving with two medical specialists in the laboratory department and infectious diseases. ■
