How Tenwek Mission Hospital in Bomet is breaking barriers, saving lives through Cardiac care

Children with various heart complications have undergone successful operations at Tenwek Mission Hospital in Bomet County. Sadly, the majority of them are from humble backgrounds and have to endure weeks of waiting as heart surgery is an expensive procedure; this waiting could sometimes lead to death. 

When we visited Tenwek Mission Hospital in Bomet County, we were met with long queues which are a common occurrence in the waiting rooms here. Parents who have children with heart disease wait expectantly hoping to get a slot in the theatre, this for some of the patients here is a matter of life and death.

 "I brought my child here who is suffering from a heart disease and we have waited for a week now…," narrates Gladys Chepringuk, a resident of Sotik.

Another resident, Anne Waithera tells us, "I realised Davis has a heart disease during birth. He was not breathing properly and so the doctors discovered that he had a heart condition." 

Here we witness the agony of parents with sick children, most of them cannot afford the cost of treatment and surgery, which means they have to wait longer. Heart surgery is an expensive undertaking.  

Dr Arega Fekadu, a Cardiothoracic surgeon at Tenwek Hospital tells us, "The biggest challenge we are facing is the massive number of patients who are extremely poor."

 In the year 2023, medics raised concerns over the rise in the prevalence of heart disease in the South Rift region, which covers Samburu, Baringo, Nakuru, Kericho, Bomet, and Narok Counties.

These sentiments were echoed by Cardiothoracic surgeons at Tenwek Mission Hospital who say the burden of cardiothoracic disease and especially cardiac disease that requires surgery is high not only in the South Rift but countrywide.

 "Every year there are about 10,000 patients that require open heart surgery out of those about half that is 5,000, are children below thirteen…," says Dr. Keith Dindi, a Cardiothoracic surgeon at the facility. 

Out of the 10,000 patients that require heart surgery here annually only 500 are operated on that is less than five percent of all the patients that are in dire need of these surgeries. 

"What is really heartbreaking for us medics is that every year we don’t operate all the patients that waiting list has patients who die waiting for the surgeries to be done…," adds Dr Dindi.

Tenwek Hospital has become the largest single provider of cardiac surgery in the region and beyond.

 Dr Arega Fekadu says "Over the years we have developed significant capacity as well as high-level infrastructure."

"We are passionate about changing the story we want to see more patients this surgery getting these surgeries changing the world one heart at a time…," Dr Keith Dindi further states.

The most common indication for surgery at Tenwek Mission Hospital is Rheumatic heart disease, which is caused by a strep throat infection in a young child that is not appropriately treated. 

This eventually leads to severe heart valve damage, which can only be treated surgically with valve replacement or repair.

Medics here are working to reduce the incidence of this preventable condition which remains the leading cause of preventable death due to heart disease. 

The other large category of patients seen here is congenital heart disease. These are infants and children who were born with defects in their hearts.

"Tulikuja Tenwek last week on Monday... Surgery ilikua successful…mtoto akosawa… nawahimiza wazazi waangalie watoto.Usifiche mtoto ugonjwa ya roho inatibika…," Anne waithera, a resident of Turbo testifies – resident turbo…

The hospital’s compassionate cardiac surgical fund has helped many needy patients pay their hospital bills. As the heart disease burden grows, heart surgeons deep in Bomet County are making a tremendous impact upon the lives of hurting hearts.