Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) specialists have successfully restored the voice of Maliki Hashimu, a six-year-old from Goba, Dar es Salaam, following a remarkable recovery journey.
Maliki had suffered extensive injuries in July this year when a sharp object struck his neck, severing his airway below the voice box. The injury caused significant trauma, leaving him unable to breathe or speak properly, in severe pain, and with considerable blood loss.
Updating reporters on Maliki’s progress, MNH Executive Director, Prof. Mohamed Janabi, explained that the hospital’s specialists approached the treatment in carefully managed stages.
Each phase of care was meticulously executed to restore all affected structures in Maliki’s neck. Prof. Janabi expressed his delight with Maliki’s full recovery, confirming he is now healthy and ready to return to school and resume his normal life.
Head of the ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) Department and neck surgery specialist, Dr. Aslam Nkya, detailed the extensive nature of Maliki’s injuries upon his arrival at the hospital.
Maliki’s neck wound had caused significant damage, including the severing of the thyroid gland, leading to heavy blood loss and intense pain in the trachea—the airway essential for breathing and vocalization. Dr. Nkya affirmed that after a thorough and precise restoration process, Maliki’s breathing and voice functions have now returned to their natural state.
Maliki’s mother, Ms. Shani Charles, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the President of Tanzania, H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, for covering the TZS 15 million needed for Maliki’s medical expenses.
She also extended her thanks to the Muhimbili medical team, Tanzanians who rallied around her family, and the media for closely following and supporting her son’s recovery journey.