Tanzanian Baraka Elias 'too tall' for hip surgery

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A Tanzanian man has told the BBC that a hospital has been unable to treat him because he is too tall.

Baraka Elias, who is 7ft 4in (2.20m), said he needed hip replacement surgery after hurting himself in a fall.

However, doctors at a hospital in Dar es Salaam, told him that his height meant he would not fit properly in a hospital bed, Mr Elias said.

They also told him their X-ray equipment was unsuitable for someone of his height, he added.

Local media quote doctors at the specialist Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, confirming Mr Elias' story.

Tanzania has poor health services, compared with countries in the west.

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Mr Elias, said to be the tallest man in Tanzania, told BBC Swahili that doctors were now trying to see if he could be treated abroad.

Mr Elias said many people were amazed by his height, but he regarded it as "normal".

His parents told him it was hereditary, he added.