Relief for Kenyans as local hospital carries out first brain surgery

Kenyans can now rejoice after a local hospital successfully conducted its first brain surgery. Dr. Henry Mugendi, the lead surgeon at The Embu Level 5 Hospital, said the two-hour long surgery was conducted by four doctors and six assistants on a 52-year-old man who had a tumour in his head.

We are happy with the process and expect the patient to make a full recovery,” Dr. Mugendi told media personnel. The hospital says plans are underway to carry out a kidney transplant on a 16-year-old student in March.

The man who the procedure was performed on had bit hit on the head with a jembe and was admitted into the hospital premises just as the doctors were getting ready for the procedure.

The team that conducted the surgery [PHOTO: COURTESY]

According to Embu Governor Martin Wambora who praised the achievement, his government will spend a third of this year’s budget of about Ksh.2 billion on improving health care and hiring 326 specialists to run the hospital.

Governor Martin Wambora touring Embu Level 5 Hospital [COURTESY]

He notified the public that there are qualified surgeons to carry out medical processes of such nature in future and that there are 10,000 applications already for kidney transplant surgery. “The facility will now reduce referral cases of patients to hospitals abroad and this is in line with the government’s aim to achieve universal health care,” he said.

Talking about the same, Embu Referral Teaching Hospital CEO Dr. Moses Njue said the institution will strive to do more to help patients many of whom are needy and can’t afford the high fees.

In October 2017, Governor Wambora dismissed claims the county government is planning to sell the recently refurbished hospital to a private company. He said his government was out to rid the facility of bureaucracy and interference from the county and ensure efficient and affordable service delivery.

“This is a simple thing. There is nothing like selling Embu Level 5 Hospital. We are just saying let’s give it some more autonomy so that we reduce bureaucracy. But it will continue being the cheapest. It will never compare to private hospitals. It will remain a public facility,” he told the press.