Mozambique’s first spinal surgery–qualified orthopaedic surgeon breaks new ground

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Mozambique’s first spinal surgery–qualified orthopaedic surgeon breaks new ground

7:51 CAT | 24 Oct 2025

Image via Domingo

Luís Francisco Letela has recently become the first Mozambican orthopaedic surgeon qualified to perform surgeries on patients with spinal disorders, after successfully completing a fellowship – an advanced training programme for doctors – held from 1 September 2024 to 30 August 2025 at King George V Hospital in Durban, South Africa.

Previously, such procedures were carried out only by neurosurgeons at Maputo Central Hospital (HCM). With Letela’s qualification, the surgeries can now also be performed by an orthopaedic specialist, helping to reduce waiting times.

Letela has practiced medicine for fourteen years, including eight as an orthopaedic surgeon, with experience in Gaza province and currently at the orthopaedic department of Mozambique’s largest healthcare facility. His interest in spinal surgery began during his time in Xai-Xai.

“During my stay in Gaza province, I dealt with many types of spinal trauma. At the time, we did not have the capacity or resources, so patients had to be referred to HCM. While we could perform other orthopaedic operations on upper and lower limb fractures, we could not operate on the spine. This experience sparked my interest in this field,” Letela said.

Having completed the fellowship, he now envisions a specialised unit dedicated to treating spinal disorders and outlined his plans.

“Our immediate goal is to advance with spinal surgeries and, if possible, establish a specialised unit where we can treat all spinal pathologies, from infectious diseases such as tuberculosis to trauma, degenerative diseases like hernias, and deformities such as scoliosis. In the short term, we will begin with trauma, degenerative conditions and infections, and as conditions improve, we will move on to more complex deformities and tumours.”

Letela acknowledges that challenges remain, as he is currently the only Mozambican with these qualifications, and offers some recommendations.

“I cannot meet all the demand alone, so we need to train more specialists. This training abroad allowed me to see the curriculum they use, and this is what we intend to bring to Mozambique – internationalising our medical training. It is a strong curriculum, and we will start training locally. Colleagues who go abroad will only help align certain details, but the theoretical base and some practical training will be conducted locally, which will also benefit our national training programmes.”

During his fellowship, Letela was awarded the Global Spine Diploma by the AO Foundation in Davos, Switzerland, having completed a distance-learning course on 31 July 2025. This diploma enables greater international collaboration.

Letela was admitted to the College of Surgeons of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) in 2022, after passing its international surgical exam, making him the first Mozambican orthopaedic surgeon to join this key institution, which promotes postgraduate surgical education and training in the region.

Source: Domingo