Medical doctors remove bullet from a boy’s neck

-Medical doctors at Kitwe Teaching Hospital  successfully managed to remove a bullet from the neck of a 14 year old boy who was shot by his grandfather over the weekend.

Hospital Medical Superintendent Abidan Chansa confirmed that the boy is out of danger but remains  admitted for continuous treatment.

Dr Chansa, however, noted that the dental and general surgeons at the hospital will further assess the condition of the patient and decide if he should also be examined by plastic surgeons at the University Teaching Hospital.

“The boy was shot through the nose and the bullet went to lodge at the posterior aspect of the neck, we had surgery yesterday and the bullet was removed, he sustained extensive injuries, the hard palate on the left side was shuttered and he had a big vacillation on the tongue, but what was gratifying to note during the operation is that the major structures in the neck were missed and he is recuperating well,” Dr. Chansa said.

Dr. Chansa further stated that the mother of the boy who was also shot in the chest by the same assailant has since been discharged.

And Kitwe District Commissioner Lawrence Mwanza who checked on the boy commended the medical officers for successfully removing the bullet from the boy.

Mr. Mwanza said the successful operation on the boy is a testimony of the skills that the local medical practitioners have and their commitment to duty.

He noted that the hospital staff has all the necessary expertise to attend to various medical cases except that there is a need to fully equip the health facility with medical equipment.

“I was under pressure from people saying the boy needed to be sent to India for an operation to remove the bullet since it was in a sensitive position, but I am now glad that local doctors have managed to remove the bullet successfully, this is testimony that our medical practitioners are competent enough to handle such cases, so we may not need to travel abroad for medical services, but we just have to equip our health facilities as we already have competent people,” Mr. Mwanza said.

ZANIS reports that last weekend, a 61 year old man of Kitwe identified as Isaac Gondwe committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth after shooting his 26 year old daughter and his 14 year old grandson.

Copperbelt Province Commanding officer Sharon Zulu said police recorded a case of attempted murder and suicide which happened on Sunday morning around 03:00 hours at plot number AA 83 Cha Cha Cha road in Kitwe.