Wajir County on Sunday recorded its first successful Laparoscopic surgery.
The groundbreaking surgery was done at the Wajir County referral hospital making the facility the seventh in the country to offer such a procedure to patients.
Laparoscopic surgery is a surgical technique that allows the surgeon to make tiny incisions in the skin and perform an operation inside the abdomen or pelvis using miniature cameras and instruments.
Compared to traditional open surgery, laparoscopic surgery involves less pain, minimal scarring, and faster recovery times allowing patients to be discharged on the same day.
The delicate and exceptional procedure was performed by a team of highly skilled general consultants and laparoscopic surgeons from Nairobi led by Dr Jamal Abade, Abdulrazak Sheikh Mohamed and Dr Hussein Bile.
Two patients benefited from a laparoscopic appendectomy and one from a cholecystectomy.
Appendectomy is the surgical operation to remove the appendix while cholecystectomy is the surgical removal of the gallbladder.
Wajir governor Ahmed Abdullahi described the occasion as momentous and historic.
“I am honoured and elated at the same time to announce that we’ve made history by becoming the first Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) county to perform the first-ever laparoscopic surgery in the region. Indeed it is a momentous and historic occasion for Wajir County,” he said.
Governor Abdullahi said the implementation of laparoscopic surgery in Wajir County has significant implications for the future of healthcare in the ASAL region of Kenya.
“With this technology, patients who would have previously had to travel long distances or even abroad for treatment can now access high-quality healthcare services closer to home. The surgeries if done in a private hospital are estimated to cost between Sh200,000 -500, 000,” he said.
“I encourage Wajir residents to seek these services at Wajir Referral Hospital. This is a game-changer for our county and one that will undoubtedly improve access to healthcare services in the area and positively impact the region's socio-economic development.”
He said the success of the surgery is a testament to his administration’s ongoing efforts to improve healthcare services in the county and demonstrates the potential for innovation in the county’s medical sector.
Abdullahi who thanked the doctors who performed the surgery said his administration will continue to prioritize in investing in healthcare technologies to increase accessibility to healthcare services for Wajir residents.
He disclosed that the county now has a pool of 18 distinct special consultants based at the Wajir County referral hospital.
The hospital provides obstetrics and gynaecology, as well as surgical, orthopaedic, and urological procedures, as well as ophthalmology, mental health, internal medicine, pediatric services, radiology, and oncology.
In October last year, the governor disbanded the Wajir County Referral Hospital leadership and reconstituted it saying that the changes were meant to enhance services.
In the changes, Dr Dahir Somo replaced Dr Mohamed Bashir as the CEO.
Also appointed were Roble Hassan (hospital administration), Mohamed Hassan Maalim (Ag nurse manager] and Dr George Sibwoga (hospital pharmacist).
Others were Siyad Saney (Ag register clinical officer), Alex Mwirigi (lab manager), Dr Kawthar Shabbir Nurdin (medical officer in charge) and Rukia Dahir (hospital health records information officer).