By Sandra Blessings
Seven hundred brain and spine surgeries have been successfully performed since 2017, in a partnership between Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) and the Kisumu Neuroscience Initiative.
The partnership has reached a major milestone and is now entering a new phase, with 41 patients lined up for specialised treatment during the ongoing neurosurgical camp, which runs until September 11, 2026.
Apart from providing patients with access to complex neurosurgical procedures, the latest initiative seeks to establish a sustainable model for specialist training and capacity building in the region.
The partnership has been strengthened by the involvement of the Foundation for International Education in Neurological Surgery (FIENS), which is working alongside JOOTRH and the Kisumu Neuroscience Initiative to move the programme beyond periodic surgical camps towards long-term development of local neurosurgical expertise.
International specialists, including experts from New York, together with representatives of medical technology company Medtronic, are working alongside JOOTRH clinicians during the camp.
The collaboration will also facilitate the introduction of advanced neurosurgical technologies and structured training opportunities for local medical professionals.
A key component of the strengthened partnership was the establishment of residency and fellowship training programmes in neurosurgery, with the aim of developing home-grown specialists capable of providing highly specialised brain and spine care within the region.
The programme will also promote knowledge and skills exchange, including bilateral opportunities for local surgeons and registrars to train internationally on emerging technologies and techniques and bring the acquired expertise back to Kenya.
The partners further plan to support the adoption of advanced medical technology, including the modernisation of JOOTRH’s Health Management Information System (HMIS) with AI-assisted clinical decision-support capabilities. Longer-term ambitions include exploring robotic-assisted surgery.
The partnership will also seek to upgrade surgical infrastructure, including improvements to operating theatres, equipment and surgical beds to create a modern environment capable of supporting increasingly complex neurosurgical procedures.
The latest camp has also adopted a more proactive approach to patient management following challenges experienced during previous surgical camps.
Local anaesthesia and surgical teams established dedicated pre-operative screening clinics a week before the camp to ensure that patients are fully assessed and prepared for surgery. The approach is expected to reduce delays and allow eligible patients to transition more efficiently from assessment to treatment.
The development of the partnership follows a courtesy call by the team to JOOTRH Chief Executive Officer, Dr Joshua Clinton Okise, with the hospital and its partners expected to sign formal Memoranda of Collaboration to strengthen the relationship and secure long-term training opportunities for local healthcare professionals.
The neurosurgical team, led by Dr Bethwel Raore, was expected to operate on patients presenting with a range of neurological conditions, including brain tumours such as meningiomas, epilepsy, Chiari malformation, disc herniation, spondylosis, spinal stenosis, spinal fractures and syringomyelia, among other conditions affecting the brain and spine.
The camp brings together a multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons and other specialists from the United States and JOOTRH.
For patients, the collaboration provides access to highly specialised care that may otherwise require them to travel outside the region. For local healthcare professionals, it provides an opportunity to gain hands-on experience and exposure to advanced neurosurgical techniques.
The partners said the next chapter of the collaboration will be defined not only by the number of patients treated, but also by the number of specialists trained and the capacity created to ensure that advanced neurosurgical services remain available locally.
