It was a rare occurrence for two-year-old Yamikani Sokola, who on his birthday underwent a successful brain operation at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH).
It was a moment of elation as doctors and other theatre staff at the hospital organised a mini-birthday party for the boy who had gone under the knife after a severe cerebral malaria attack.
Speaking after the operation, Dr Patrick Kamalu, said they decided to give the baby a treat with the spirit that being confined in hospital should not deprive the baby a moment of joy like a birthday celebration.
“Bearing in mind that the boy could not celebrate his birthday because he is in hospital, we decided to buy him a birthday cake,” he said.
Speaking on the baby’s condition, Kamalu said he lost sight due to severe cerebral malaria.
“We had a brain scan which showed the boy had significant amount of blood in his head. So we took him to the theatre and drained that blood,” said Kamalu.
Grandmother to the baby, Catherine Makhawu, said they have for a long time struggled with Yamikani’s problem.
She said after several visits to Thekerani Health Centre in Thyolo, they noticed that Yamikani had lost his sight.
“Months after Yamikani’s birth, he had been sick. But the recent was when he was found with cerebral malaria. He has been battling the disease at Thekerani where we noticed Yamikani could no longer see. We were referred here QECH, and Yamikani has received an operation,” she said.
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