Mbagathi Hospital makes history with first-ever brain surgery

KENYA—Nairobi City County’s Mbagathi Level 5 Hospital successfully performed the first-ever brain surgery, led by neurosurgeon Dr Tom Mboya, demonstrating the benefits of ongoing medical facility upgrades in the county.

Jessy Mubaiya, 57, underwent this operation after being diagnosed with persistent subdural haematoma, which was caused by a blunt head injury in 1995.

A subdural haematoma develops when a blood artery in the area between the skull and the brain (the subdural space) ruptures.

Blood escapes from the blood vessel, forming a blood clot (haematoma) that puts pressure on the brain and destroys it.

Between 1996 and 1997, he was diagnosed with Renal Tubular Acidosis (RTA), a medical disorder characterized by a buildup of acid in the body as a result of the kidneys’ failure to adequately acidify urine.

After years of futile attempts to seek medical attention from numerous health institutions across the country, his admission to Mbagathi Hospital on February 12, 2024, was prompted by his persistent headaches.

At Mbagathi, he was checked with the new CT scan and admitted for craniotomy surgery, which lasted about 2 hours and 10 minutes. He is now recovering in the facility ward and is awaiting release.

Mr. Alexander Irungu, the facility’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), stated that once the additional CT scan and CCU are completed, the hospital will be prepared to handle a variety of related challenges.

He went on to say that this is the first-ever neurosurgery at Mbagathi Hospital, with a team directed by Dr. Tom Mboya, and that with the installation of CT scans and the CCU nearing completion, many more similar cases, including complex ones, will be done.

This follows on the heels of the first-ever cementless hip surgery, which was successfully performed at the same hospital, marking another milestone.

Cementless hip surgery, also known as cementless total hip arthroplasty (THA) or cementless hip replacement, is a surgical treatment that involves replacing a damaged hip joint with an artificial implant rather than using cement to hold the components in place.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has stated that Mbagathi Hospital will obtain the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) facility, which Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital received last year.

This is likely to significantly reduce congestion at Kenyatta National Hospital, since patients seeking ICU services will be able to access them at Mbagathi Hospital as well.

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