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For patients travelling from Zambia

Otology & Complex Ear Surgery for patients in Zambia

From a child with repeated ear infections to an adult with an ear that won't stop draining or hearing that's slowly fading. This page covers the ear problems Dr Kana treats and how hearing care fits in along the way. If you live in Zambia, your own doctor can refer you, and the rooms help you plan travel to Johannesburg for an in-person consultation. Cross-border cover for Zambian patients is often provided by corporate health plans and international insurers. On request, the practice supplies the clinical motivation, quotations and coding needed for a guarantee of payment.

Illustrative image: Otoscope, audiology headphones and a hearing test card in front of a sound boothIllustrative image

Medical aid & funders

Cross-border cover for Zambian patients is often provided by corporate health plans and international insurers. On request, the practice supplies the clinical motivation, quotations and coding needed for a guarantee of payment.

  • Zambian medical schemes and corporate health plans

    Some schemes and employer plans cover treatment in South Africa with prior authorisation. Confirm your benefit option and required documents before travel.

  • International health insurers

    Guarantee-of-payment letters are generally required before elective admission.

Travel & arrival

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

Direct flights connect Lusaka and Ndola with Johannesburg (approximately two hours).

Urgent transfers and air ambulance coordination

Your records & POPIA

Sending medical records from Zambia 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 Zambia. 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 otology & complex ear surgery in person in Johannesburg
Start a secure referral

Dr Kana works with audiology and speech therapy colleagues, so that hearing assessment, surgery and postoperative audiological care are coordinated.

Chronic otitis media and cholesteatoma

A persistent perforation of the eardrum or a chronically discharging ear may indicate chronic otitis media. Cholesteatoma is an abnormal growth of skin within the middle ear that can gradually erode surrounding bone, including the hearing bones.

Surgery aims first to create a safe, dry ear and, where possible, to restore hearing. Planning is guided by otomicroscopy, audiometry and CT of the temporal bone.

Conductive hearing loss

Conditions such as otosclerosis or disruption of the ossicular chain can reduce the transmission of sound to the inner ear. Surgical options include stapes surgery and ossicular reconstruction. Hearing aids and implantable devices are appropriate alternatives for some patients.

Paediatric ear care

Recurrent acute otitis media and persistent middle ear effusion in children can affect hearing during an important period of speech and language development. Paediatric ear care, including ventilation tube (grommet) insertion, is provided at Netcare Mulbarton Hospital in Johannesburg South.

Integrated audiological care

Pre- and postoperative audiological testing, hearing-aid fitting and vestibular (balance) assessment are coordinated with audiology colleagues. This supports continuity from diagnosis through surgery to rehabilitation.

Treatments in this area

  • Tympanoplasty and myringoplasty
  • Tympanomastoidectomy
  • Cholesteatoma surgery
  • Stapedotomy / stapedectomy
  • Ossiculoplasty
  • Bone-anchored hearing implant and cochlear implant assessment

Your care team may include: ENT and ear surgery (otology), Audiology, Speech and language therapy, Paediatric anaesthesia (Netcare Mulbarton).

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 Zambia to South Africa and processed on servers outside South Africa (POPIA Section 72). The data protection law of Zambia may also apply.

Referral criteria

  • Chronic or recurrent ear discharge despite topical treatment
  • Suspected cholesteatoma (attic retraction, keratin debris, granulation)
  • Persistent tympanic membrane perforation
  • Conductive or mixed hearing loss on audiometry
  • Children with recurrent otitis media or effusion persisting beyond three months

Helpful work-up before consultation

  • Pure-tone audiogram and tympanometry
  • CT of the temporal bone for chronic ear disease (DICOM)
  • Details of prior ear surgery, if any

Common questions

Things people often ask

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

Contact the rooms
Are there paediatric ENT services at Netcare Mulbarton?

Yes. Dr Nadir Kana's rooms at Netcare Mulbarton Hospital (Suite 11) provide paediatric ENT care in Johannesburg South, including management of chronic otitis media, tonsillar hypertrophy and paediatric airway obstruction.

Will ear surgery restore my hearing?

The primary goal of surgery for chronic ear disease is a safe, dry ear. Hearing improvement is a secondary goal and depends on the condition of the hearing bones and inner ear. Your expected outcome is discussed based on your audiogram and scan.

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