Kenya has registered yet another medical milestone following a successful surgery to reattach a foot.
The surgery that took place at Coptic Hospital saw Vael Bhagat regain the function of his left leg.
The 31-year-old was involved in an accident in Embu on April 3, and was rushed to Embu County Referral Hospital for first aid and later to Coptic Hospital with his severed foot in a freezer.
Stanely Ominde, the lead specialist, said the patient will need at least six months to recover.
The operation cost Sh2.5 million.
Prof Ominde said the surgery is the first ever foot re-implantation in the country.
In March, a 17-year-old boy was discharged from Kenyatta National Hospital after undergoing a successful surgery to reattach his left wrist.
The wrist had been completely severed by a chaff cutter on January 26.
“I am happy that the surgical procedure was successful and the patient is healing,” said Ominde, a plastic surgeon, of the latest surgery at Coptic Hospital.
Normally, such a delicate surgery would take up to 20 hours, but it took 11 hours.
Ominde said they grafted muscles and nerves from the patient’s leg to fill in the gaps left due to the severity of the injury.