JINJA, Uganda

A Ugandan patient had a 5-kilogram keloid mass removed during a health event organized by the Friends of All Africa Association (TADD) in cooperation with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Uganda’s Ministry of Health.

A volunteer medical team from Türkiye, including doctors, nurses, anesthesia technicians, and civil society members, provided free examinations and surgeries to hundreds of Ugandans over 11 days.

The 18-member group of specialists in general surgery, urology, ENT, gynecology, and plastic surgery examined approximately 1,500 individuals and performed nearly 100 surgeries. Among the patients was 39-year-old Muhammed Ramazan, from whom doctors removed the massive keloid growth weighing about 5 kilograms.

Unusually large keloid case

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Dadaci, vice dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Necmettin Erbakan University and an expert in plastic and reconstructive surgery, described the keloid case as the largest he had ever seen.

“We encountered a keloid of a size I’ve never seen in my life,” Dadaci said. The 20-centimeter-long mass extended down from the patient’s neck and also affected the area behind his ears. Despite the usual preference for non-surgical treatment of keloids, the team successfully excised the growth, greatly improving the patient’s quality of life.

Keloids occur when the body’s healing mechanism continues producing tissue long after a wound has healed. Dadaci noted that such cases are particularly common among individuals of African descent. “The patient had lived with the mass for 7-8 years under difficult conditions, but he has now been freed from it,” he added.

Life-changing surgery

TADD’s Ankara representative, Cuneyd Tiryaki, highlighted the broader significance of the surgery. “This operation not only improved the patient’s health but also his family life, work life, and social integration,” Tiryaki said, noting that without intervention, the patient would have faced lifelong struggles due to financial constraints and the shortage of medical staff in Uganda.

“We believe this surgery has had a clear impact both before and after. We’re proud to have been part of such a meaningful effort,” Tiryaki added.

The patient was discharged following the successful procedure.