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For patients travelling from Mozambique

Head & Neck Oncologic Surgery for patients in Mozambique

A lump in the neck, a mouth ulcer that won't heal or a voice that stays hoarse can be worrying. Here's how these problems are investigated, what treatment involves and the support you'll have afterwards. If you live in Mozambique, your own doctor can refer you, and the rooms help you plan travel to Johannesburg for an in-person consultation. Mozambican patients are often covered by international or corporate health insurance. On request, the practice provides quotations, clinical motivation and ICD-10 coding for pre-authorisation.

Illustrative image: Flexible nasendoscope used to examine the throat and voice box, beside a glass of water in a consulting roomIllustrative image

Medical aid & funders

Mozambican patients are often covered by international or corporate health insurance. On request, the practice provides quotations, clinical motivation and ICD-10 coding for pre-authorisation.

  • International health insurers

    Some expatriate and corporate policies cover specialist treatment in South Africa, subject to pre-authorisation. Confirm your policy's cover directly with your insurer.

  • Mozambican private medical plans

    Confirm cross-border cover and required documentation with your plan before travel.

Travel & arrival

Departing from
Maputo International Airport
Arriving at
O.R. Tambo International Airport or Lanseria International Airport
Hospital
Netcare Milpark Hospital, Parktown West (approx. 45 minutes by road from O.R. Tambo; 35 minutes from Lanseria)

Flights between Maputo and Johannesburg take approximately one hour. Road travel is via the Lebombo / Ressano Garcia border post.

Urgent transfers and air ambulance coordination

Your records & POPIA

Sending medical records from Mozambique to a practice in South Africa is a cross-border transfer of personal information, which may also be regulated by the data protection law of Mozambique. The secure referral portal explains which information is transferred, and where it is processed, and asks for explicit consent before anything is submitted.

  1. 01 Your doctor uploads the referral and imaging
  2. 02 Travel planning call (logistics only)
  3. 03 Funder documents supplied on request
  4. 04 Consultation about head & neck oncologic surgery in person in Johannesburg
Start a secure referral

After partial or total glossectomy for oral malignancy, rehabilitation is coordinated with allied speech and language therapists. Dr Kana's academic interest includes the development of a tongue-strength measurement device, intended to support measurable functional rehabilitation.

A multidisciplinary approach

Treatment for head and neck cancer is planned in a multidisciplinary setting. Surgical, radiation and medical oncology opinions are considered together with pathology and radiology findings, so that each patient receives a treatment recommendation based on the stage and site of the disease.

Treatment goals include complete removal of the cancer together with preservation of speech, swallowing, breathing and appearance wherever this is clinically possible.

Oral cavity and tongue

Cancers of the tongue and floor of mouth are commonly treated with surgical resection, with or without neck dissection. Depending on the size of the defect, reconstruction may involve local tissue or a free tissue transfer performed with reconstructive colleagues.

Getting back to clear speech and safe swallowing after tongue surgery is a central part of the plan. Speech and language therapy starts before the operation, not after it.

Salivary gland tumours

Most parotid gland tumours are benign, but surgical removal is often recommended to establish a definitive diagnosis and prevent growth. The facial nerve passes through the parotid gland; its identification and preservation is a primary consideration during parotidectomy.

Larynx and neck

Persistent hoarseness, a neck lump lasting longer than three weeks, difficulty swallowing or unexplained ear pain in an adult warrants specialist assessment. Investigation typically includes flexible endoscopy, cross-sectional imaging and tissue diagnosis.

Treatments in this area

  • Partial and total glossectomy
  • Parotidectomy with facial nerve preservation
  • Submandibular gland excision
  • Total laryngectomy
  • Selective, modified radical and radical neck dissection
  • Thyroidectomy for carcinoma

Your care team may include: ENT and head & neck surgery, Radiation and medical oncology, Speech and language therapy, Dietetics, Reconstructive surgery where indicated.

For referring doctors

When to refer, and what to send

Send a secure referral

The referral form asks for consent to records being sent from Mozambique to South Africa and processed on servers outside South Africa (POPIA Section 72). The data protection law of Mozambique may also apply.

Referral criteria

  • Non-healing oral ulcer or mass persisting beyond three weeks
  • Neck mass in an adult persisting beyond three weeks, particularly with risk factors
  • Persistent hoarseness beyond three weeks in a smoker or adult over 45
  • Parotid or submandibular mass
  • Histologically confirmed head and neck malignancy requiring surgical opinion

Helpful work-up before consultation

  • Contrast-enhanced CT or MRI of the head and neck (DICOM)
  • Histology or cytology reports, including referring laboratory details
  • Chest imaging where available
  • Summary of relevant comorbidities and current medication

Common questions

Things people often ask

Can't see your question here? The rooms are happy to help.

Contact the rooms
Will I be able to speak and swallow after tongue surgery?

Outcomes depend on how much of the tongue is removed and whether reconstruction is required. Speech and language therapy begins before surgery and continues afterwards. Your expected functional outcome is discussed with you during consultation.

Is a neck dissection always necessary?

Not always. The decision is based on the site, size and depth of the primary tumour and imaging of the neck lymph nodes. This forms part of the multidisciplinary treatment plan.

Is speech therapy part of recovery after tongue surgery?

Yes. Speech and language therapy is arranged with allied therapists before and after surgery. How much therapy is needed depends on the surgery and on your own recovery.

Medically reviewed by Dr Nadir Kana, Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) and Head & Neck Surgery. Last reviewed .