Traditional Uvulectomy
A Global Initiative from Global Surgery Umbrella
Global Surgery Umbrella (GSU) is a network of specialists that solve problems, together. GSU connects specialists, who face challenges in ensuring patients’ access to safe, timely, affordable care, with members that can help make access possible. In this way, GSU is A Marketplace for Global Surgery—we match the problems to the solutions.
Why Uvulectomy?
How We Got Involved in Traditional Uvulectomy
In the fall of 2024, Dr. Nalunkuma, a physician in training at Lira Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda, contacted her senior, Dr. Magumba Khalid, a member of GSU. Dr. Nalunkuma reported there was an increasing number of children arriving to the pediatric ward in critical condition. Each child showed a similar pattern: their uvula - the small, fleshy structure that hangs at the back of the throat - had been partially or completely cut out, non-medically. The children were brought to Lira Regional Referral Hospital after they already developed life-threatening complications, such as sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, and anemia.
Dr. Nalunkuma observed:
“On average, we admit over five cases per day. Despite our best efforts, the mortality rate remains shockingly high, with nearly 5 out of 10 children succumbing to complications despite the drugs we prescribe.”
These numbers led Dr. Magumba to raise this surgical problem within the wider GSU network.
From there, GSU initiated an effort to better understand what was happening on the ground—i.e., community beliefs, clinical workforce limitations, and geographic scope of the practice—with the goal of improving access to safe, timely, and affordable care.
What GSU Understands
Dr. Nalunkuma shared what the children at Lira Regional Referral Hospital were experiencing—i.e., severe complications after undergoing a procedure locally known as traditional uvulectomy (TU). Often described as a customary practice, TU involves the removal of part or all of the uvula— and sometimes the tissue of nearby structures such as the tonsils or adenoids.
Traditional uvulectomy is done by local non-medical healers, who use tools such as sharp blades, wires, or thread. The procedure has been described as a means of treating and/or curing conditions like tonsillitis or infections of unknown causes.
Traditional uvulectomy is most often conducted within a community—i.e., a private home without clinical safeguards such as sterilization, anesthesia, or post-operative care. As a result, pediatric patients are at increased risk of serious complications including sepsis, pneumonia, and severe anemia.
Dr. Nalunkuma explained that the practice is deeply rooted in local cultural belief systems. These beliefs are then attributed to delays in seeking formal medical care, as families often turn to health facilities only when life-threatening complications arise.
The Scope of the Practice
Traditional uvulectomy has been documented in several Sub-Saharan contexts, including:
Ethiopia
Kenya
Nigeria
Niger
Tanzania
Sudan
DR Congo
Eritrea
Uganda
Data reveals that nearly 2 in 5 children undergo traditional uvulectomy; yet the practice remains overlooked, poorly understood, and under-researched—often going unregistered in national data systems and health policy conversations.
We at GSU are committed to addressing these gaps in knowledge, understanding, and practice!
Our Call to Action
GSU wants to contribute to a greater understanding of traditional uvulectomy as well as offer concrete scientifically based alternatives for caregivers, families, communities, and healthcare providers.
To do this work effectively we need support.
GSU needs donors to contribute funds for research, training, and community learning.
To move forward, we ask you to donate so we can:
Research the reasons and beliefs of caregivers, families, communities, and local practitioners performing traditional uvulectomy;
Advocate and educate caregivers, families, communities, local practitioners, and national health workers about alternative medical remedies for children;
Train health workers in triage techniques and best clinical practice to manage complications effectively.
This initiative is co-led by GSU members Dr. Magumba Khalid and Professor Kristen Cheney.
Dr. Magumba Khalid is a medical doctor from Uganda, G4 Alliance Fellow, and founder of Know it Health Foundation (KHF). With a strong background in community engagement, he leverages this expertise to improve health outcomes for children in rural communities in Uganda.
Professor Kristen Cheney is an anthropologist, a renowned childhood studies scholar, and an international child protection consultant. She has written extensively on HIV/AIDS orphanhood in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Uganda.
Join Us
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