rki.news | Sources Xinhua
Zanzibar, Tanzania, May 11 — A 46-year-old Tanzanian woman, Khadija Suleiman, has regained her health after years of severe abdominal pain and repeated surgical failures, following a complex procedure led by Chinese and Tanzanian doctors at Lumumba Hospital in Zanzibar.
Suleiman, a mother of three from Zanzibar, had lived with a recurring incisional hernia for nearly two years after earlier gynecological surgery. Despite two previous operations, her condition worsened, causing a large abdominal swelling, reduced mobility, and chronic pain that severely affected her daily life.
“I was losing hope,” she said after discharge, recalling how even basic movement became difficult.
Her recovery came after doctors from the 35th Chinese medical team in Zanzibar worked with local surgeons to perform the hospital’s first giant abdominal wall incisional hernia mesh repair.
The surgical team, led by Chinese specialist Bao Zengtao, worked alongside Tanzanian surgeon Haithem Salim to manage complications including intestinal adhesions and colonic dilation.
The five-hour operation involved partial intestinal resection and abdominal wall reconstruction. Suleiman later showed steady recovery under close monitoring and rehabilitation.
Doctors said the case marks a milestone in Zanzibar’s surgical capacity and reflects growing medical cooperation between China and Tanzania.
Since last year, team conducted surgeries and consultations