Neurosurgical injuries among small scale miners presenting to a tertiary hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Introduction: Small scale artisanal mining which is also called gold panning is rampant in gold rich areas in Zimbabwe.

Objectives: This is a study of the nature and extent of neurosurgical injuries affecting miners and an evaluation of their financial means to access medical facilities.

Design: This was a cross-sectional observational study carried out to study the neurosurgical injuries seen at Parirenyatwa Hospital.

Materials and Methods: The setting was the Neurosurgical Unit at  Parirenyatwa hospital. The study period was January 2014 to December 2016. Data was collected at discharge onto a datasheet with subsequent computer analysis.

Results: A total of 36 patients were seen during the study period following artisanal mining related neurosurgical injuries. Thirty-four (34) of them were male (94.4%) while two (2) were female (5.6%).The age range was 20-45 years.