HOW SAFE IS SPORTS IN KENYA? Questions raised as Nondies player Gacheo succumbs to injury

Rugby player Ogeto Gacheo who died over the weekend.PHOTO/DENNIS OKEYO (R) Gor Mahia Striker Khalid Aucho is carried by team doctors and Ushuru FC players to the ambulancel after an injury during their Kenya Premier League at Nyayo National Stadium on sunday, April 9, 2016. [PHOTO: JONAH ONYANGO/STANDARD.

National sevens team played their hearts out in Cape Town at the weekend in honour of former Nondescripts player Ogeto Gecheo who succumbed to a spinal injury on Tuesday morning.

The 20-year-old centre player suffered the spinal injury after tackling an opponent during their Kenya Cup tie against Strathmore University Leos at Madaraka grounds on Saturday.

According to the club, a disc in Ogeto’s neck slipped when he went for a tackle, which resulted in a spinal damage. He was then rushed to Aga Khan Hospital, where he underwent a surgery to fix plates on his vertebral column.

The club said that the procedure was successful and Ogeto was scheduled to begin physiotherapy, but he developed breathing problems early Tuesday morning and was pronounced dead at 3am.

While the gesture by the national team in Cape Town leg of the World Rugby Series was commendable, Gecheo’s death raises questions about safety of sports persons in Kenya, the quality of medical care and preparedness of medical staff in the event of an injury.

This is the second time in five years that a rugby player succumbed to spinal injuries suffered in a match. In 2012, Aberdeen Shikoyi, then captain of the national Women’s Rugby team, died from injuries sustained during a first leg match against Uganda in a Elgon Cup tie.

Shikoyi, who was also the Mwamba RFC women’s team captain, sustained her injuries in Uganda, and was flown to Kenya for further treatment, but her case still does not prove that if she was in Kenya, she could have been saved.

As a matter of fact, it raises more questions about the preparedness of Kenyan clubs and federations when it comes to treating sports persons who get hurt during a match for either club or country.

Those deaths, including that of Nondies player Samson Odhiambo, who died in July 2002, just 24 hours after suffering an injury raise concerns of how equipped and prepared the Kenyan sports industry is when it comes to treating sportspersons.

Does Kenya have enough sports doctors? How do clubs and federations perceive the field of sports medicine? Do teams and or individual players endeavour to manage injuries well, or even prevent them?

Dr Michael Muniafu, a kinetotherapist who is attached to Impala RFC admits that Kenya is in a sorry state, and it is even worse off for rugby, because the sport is very physical.

He says the situation is made worse by the fact that there is shortage of sports doctors in Kenya.

“Unfortunately we lack sports doctors in rugby, and to make matters worse, club and national teams do not have full medical staff,” he says, adding that the best the country can offer “are physiotherapists, massage specialists and first aid personnel.”

Dr Andrew Suleh, the head of medical department at the Kenyan Premier League and chair of Health Rights Advocacy Forum shares Muniafu’s sentiments, and says that Kenya does not have enough qualified sports doctors.

“Kenya has very few sports doctors,” Dr Suleh says, and adds that there is no advocacy by federations and clubs that is geared towards increasing the numbers.

“There is neither concern nor alarm for the lack of sports doctors by clubs and federations who only focus on skill development,” Dr Suleh notes. “They focus mainly on those players who can win them trophies and medals, but those who are not in good shape and cannot deliver silverware receive no attention.”

Could it be that the local clubs and federations use their own parameters and do not adhere to standards set by the global governing bodies?

Rules by world governing bodies for disciplines such as boxing and football stipulate that there be ringside and touchline physicians during professional bouts and international or league matches.

A case in point is that of England player Fabrice Muamba who collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest during an FA match between Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspurs in 2012. Several medics huddled around him and each of them was playing his/her role in either giving first aid or diagnosis.

Their quick response, preparedness and availability of proper equipment were key in saving his life, nay, bringing him back to life after his heart stopped for 78 minutes.

In every football game, there must be an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) next to the fourth official. The AED is used to restart the heart in the case of a cardiac arrest.

In fact, during English Premier League matches, AEDs are placed around the stadia, as a precautionary measure for the elderly fans. In advanced economies, paramedics with these gadgets are placed strategically along the streets for emergencies.

Dr Suleh says Fifa has set out medical standards that all member federations should adhere to and even though Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has met the medical staffing requirements for the national teams, ninety per cent of Kenyan clubs have not.

He says clubs only meet the minimum requirement of a physiotherapist and first aid givers and cover the doctors’ position by partnering with certain hospitals where their players can be referred to incase of injuries.

The importance of having team doctors is underscored by the fact that there are other injuries that physiotherapists cannot handle. Team doctors have to be with the team at all times, during training and competitions because they are the custodians of medical histories of each player in the squad.

Dr Suleh says that there are players who react to different weather conditions, others are asthmatic, diabetic, have heart problems and physiotherapists and first aiders are not trained to handle such cases.

“A team doctor will have the medical background of all players and monitor them closely,” Dr Suleh says, adding that a “team doctor is that person who will be there to advise the coach on when a player who is out injured is fully rehabilitated and healed to be fielded in a game, but most local coaches rush to field players before they heal, leading to aggravation the injury.”

In 2004, George Waweru played for Harambee Stars at the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia with a spinal injury that was discovered later, after he complained of back pain whenever he tried to head the ball. He got injured before the tournament and it would probably have been contained if it had been diagnosed in time — by a team doctor.

The most common injuries in sports include strains, sprains, tear of muscles, concussions, dislocations, fractures and head injuries. To prevent injuries, the technical bench has to adhere to safety guidelines and conduct well organised training sessions. But this whole field of sports medicine is expensive in all aspects. The course is not offered in local medical training colleges and universities.

The equipment involved in the treatment of sports related-injuries are also costly, and since federations and clubs in Kenya are struggling with finances, they cannot afford such equipment and the services of specialised doctors.

Hillary Echesa, former Kenyan international who now plays for Chemelil Sugar Football Club admits that most clubs are financially incapacitated to staff their medical departments adequately.

“Very few football clubs can hire sports doctors. For most, physiotherapists handle all cases of injuries and illnesses in camp. Incase of a cut that that requires immediate stitching, physiotherapists do not have the relevant equipment  and some do not know how to give injections,” he said.