ハイエナに襲われ顔面損傷のジンバブエ少年、南アで無償手術へ

【ヨハネスブルクＡＦＰ＝時事】ハイエナに襲われ顔の一部を失ったジンバブエ少年（９）の再建手術が２１日から、南アフリカで行われる。（写真は南アフリカ・サントンの病院へストレッチャーで運ばれるロドウェル・コマザナさん）
　ロドウェル・コマザナさんは先月２日、ジンバブエの首都ハラレ郊外で夜の礼拝に参加した際、ハイエナに襲われて鼻や左目、上唇の大部分、額の一部などを失った。
　ハラレ市の大きな公立病院でできる限りの応急処置を受けて容体は安定したが、病院には顔を完全に修復する資源が不足していた。
　外国でのみ可能な手術を受けさせる費用がなかった母親は、南アフリカの医師らと交渉し、ヨハネスブルクの民間病院と無償手術で合意した。
　ロドウェルさんは１９日にヨハネスブルクに搬送され、病院ではスタッフらが南アフリカ国歌を歌って出迎えた。また、「チーム・ロドウェル」の文字と少年のイラストが印刷されたＴシャツを着用したスタッフの姿も多く見られた。
　２１日には診査手術が行われ、その後は約２０時間におよぶ複雑な手術が予定されている。ロドウェルさんの体の他の部位の組織から顎と鼻、口、頬を再建し、義眼を装着する。
　担当医師は「残念ながら顔に複数の傷痕は残ってしまう」と述べ、傷痕を最小限にとどめ、「少なくとも動いたり他の子どもたちと同じように楽しんだりできるようにしてあげたい」と語った。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/06/21-11:30）

Plastic surgeons in South Africa are preparing to reconstruct the face of a nine-year-old Zimbabwean boy mauled by a hyena in an attack last month.
Rodwell Khomazana lost his nose, left eye, most of his upper lip, bits of his forehead and other parts of his face when he was attacked during a night-time church service outside Harare on May 2.
Doctors in one of the city's main public hospitals did the best they could to patch him up and stabilise his condition, but lacked the resources to fully repair his ravaged face.
Unable to afford specialised surgery only available abroad, his mother contacted medics in neighbouring South Africa, who agreed to operate on him for free in a private Johannesburg clinic.
When she mentioned the story of this poor child mauled by a hyena I couldn't say no, plastic surgeon Ridwan Mia told AFP earlier this week.
Rodwell was flown to Johannesburg on Saturday and greeted by hospital staff singing South Africa's national anthem.
Many wore white T-shirts printed with Team Rodwell and a drawing of the boy.
They clapped and cheered as he was wheeled into the building, a green hooded sweater pulled over his head and his face covered in white bandages.
A peephole had been cut over his right eye, through which he watched cartoons on a smart tablet.
- 'Huge injury' -
Mia and his team will perform exploratory surgery on Monday, after which they will schedule a complex operation expected to last around 20 hours.
They will use tissue from other parts of his body to reconstruct his jaw, nose, mouth and cheeks. He will also be fitted with a prostatic eye.
Unfortunately he will have multiple scars on his face, said Mia.
What we are hoping to do is a procedure where we minimise... the scarring, he explained.
Rodwell will never have a completely normal, unscarred face, he warned. But we want to give him something that will at least allow him to be functional and enjoy the things that other kids do.
Donations will cover the costs of hospitalisation, which is expected to last at least a month with several touch up procedures.
A hotel has offered to accommodate the child's mother during that time.
Mia said left over money would be used for therapy to help Rodwell overcome trauma.
He noted psychological support would be particularly important for him to accept his new eye.
Doctors hope Rodwell will eventually feel like a normal boy again, Mia said.
Unfortunately the harsh reality is we are dealing with a huge injury.