County hospital performs first successful inner-ear operation

Gerald Mureithi is a happy man having regained hearing after years of suffering from hearing loss.

The 56-year-old said he does not remember when he lost his hearing, but he recalls the moment he confirmed that one of his ears had malfunctioned. He says he put a clock against both his ears, and through this simple test, he realised he could not hear using his left ear.

Following the self-diagnosis, Mureithi sought treatment in several health facilities in Nyeri and Nairobi. By this time, the condition of his ear had worsened and was producing discharge.

Medics who treated him would often refer him from one facility to another, but none conclusively treated the problem. It was two months ago in August that he visited a health facility in Karatina and was referred to the Kenyatta National Hospital.

"I went to Kenyatta National Hospital and was referred to Nakuru PGH. I came to the hospital and was told I would be operated on Tuesday or Wednesday," he said.

It was at the Nakuru Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital that Mureithi went through a successful surgery by a team of otolaryngologists who are specialists in inner ear surgery, during a free ear surgery camp.

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"I was operated on and I am okay," said Mureithi, "I am happy with the good work the medics did to restore my hearing."

Alongside Mureithi are eight other patients who received the groundbreaking surgery to restore their hearing by a team of visiting surgeons from the University of Kentucky (USA), the University of Nairobi and surgeons from Nakuru County.

Dr Michael Sitima, an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon based at the Nakuru PGH said they have been holding an ear surgery camp since Tuesday targeting disadvantaged members of the community who would otherwise not afford the services.

He said this was the first camp of its kind in the South Rift region.

"On Wednesday, we did some ground-breaking surgery called ossicular chain reconstruction whereby we repair the small bones in the ear which aid in hearing," he added.

He said in most of the patients being operated on, the disease had destroyed the small bones in the ear that aid in hearing, noting that the ossicular chain reconstruction surgery restores hearing.

"Through ossicular chain reconstruction, destroyed small bones in the ear are replaced with microscopic artificial ones," said Dr Sitima. One case would take about six to eight hours of surgery depending on the complexity, and medics noted that patients who had been operated on were doing well.

From the camp, the medics said they were also aiming at getting skills transferred from the visiting surgeons.

"We have the equipment and therefore we believe going forward, patients from the Rift valley can always visit the facility and we will be more than happy to help them. We have gained knowledge," he said.

Dr Sitima said ear disease is often neglected and riddled with myths and misinformation. He said often when people developed discharge from the ears without receiving urgent medical care, the condition would deteriorate to severe infections and others growths in the ear leading to hearing loss and balance.

He called on members of the community to shun the myths surrounding ear discharge and said there was the need to seek medical care, noting that with early detection from a qualified medical practitioner, ear disease can be treated with as little as Sh500.

The cost of the specialised ear surgery ranges between Sh500,000 and Sh1 million depending on the complexity of the case.

However, during the camp, patients covered under the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) received treatment free of charge. Dr Sitima however noted that in the absence of such a free medical camp, patients with NHIF cover would still benefit from treatment.