MTRH CEO Wilson Aruasa addressing the press, Wednesday July 5 2017. [Photo: hivisasa.com]
Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) CEO Wilson Aruasa has cried foul of few neurosurgeons in the hospital amid increased number of stroke, brain and spinal cord injuries. He said the current number is a drop in the ocean."MTRH has only 5 neurosurgeons serving 24 million Kenyans in Western Kenya, parts of Eastern Uganda and Southern Sudan," he said in Eldoret town, Wednesday."The national government should offer specialized training in neurosurgery to curb the shortage.At the moment 1 neurosurgeon serves 2.5 million people," he added. He reiterated that Kenya has only 18 Neurosurgeons attending to 45 million Kenyans. "According to WHO, one neurosurgeon should serve 200,000 people. This means that Kenya requires 200,000 neurosurgeons," noted Aruasa.In East Africa, one neurosurgeon serves over 11 million people compared to one neurosurgeon serving 300,000 people in South Africa.Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the entire nervous system including the brain and the spinal cord.