Thika Level IV Hospital has become among the first hospitals in Kenya to perform a Laparoscopic surgery after the County Government of Kiambu under the leadership of Governor Ferdinard Waititu purchased Laparoscopic machines. The first surgery of such kind was performed on 30th January 2019 making it one of the first government hospitals in Kenya to use the advanced surgical technology.
Laparoscopic surgery refers to surgical procedures that are performed through one or multiple small incisions, rather than through a larger, usually single, incision through the abdominal wall. The benefits of Laparoscopy procedures include the reduction of hospital stay from a week to three days. This shall lead to reduction in congestion within the wards in the government hospitals.
The purchase of the Laparoscopy tower (machine) was fully funded by the County Government, with the maiden procedure being performed by a team of surgeons from Kiambu County Government’s health department led by Director Medical Services Dr. David Ndegwa.
Dr. David says that the technology can also be used to treat complicated cases especially those that have increased risks during open surgery. “There is minimal blood loss during Laparoscopic and no scars are left,” he says. He also says that the overall cost of this procedure is generally cheaper.
“There is reduced hospital stay when using this procedure and thus the bills will be lower,” he says, “Thika Level IV shall use the technology to treat Gynecology, Surgery, and Urology among other cases.”
The health department has also constituted a specialized team of doctors to enable them perform more procedures with the aim of reducing congestion. The team intends to roll out more Laparoscopic surgeries and also train more doctors in the procedure.
