Kenyatta National Hospital Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeons in collaboration with volunteer surgeons from the Netherlands under the auspice of Operation Ear Drop Kenya (OED) conducted surgeries to restore hearing to 20 patients with perforated eardrums.
The five-day project was conducted from 25th to 29th November 2019 and targeted patients aged 9 years and above
Operation Ear Drop project provides preventive, surgical and rehabilitative services to the hearing impaired Kenyans with emphasis on children, especially from underprivileged backgrounds. According to Dr. Elaine Yuko, KNH ENT surgeon, most ear ailments are caused by poor hygiene and severe ear infections that go untreated. Hearing is critical to speech and language development, communication and learning. Among the beneficiaries is 12-year old Seya Bulati who started experiencing hearing problems at the age of one. “At first we thought it was an ear infection, we saw a doctor and she later got treated. However, some years later we realized she was having trouble hearing on that ear”, said Simon Bulati, Seya’s father. They afterwards sought treatment at KNH ENT clinic where the consultant recommended surgery and Seya was listed for the OED project. Seya is contented and looks forward to full recovery after a successful surgery during the concluded OED project.
Twice a year, Kenyatta National Hospital resident doctors and medical team undergo Temporal Bone Course training on the latest technology in corrective ear surgery and transfer of knowledge. KNH in partnership with Operation Ear Drop Kenya (OED-K), Operation Ear Drop in the Netherlands, and The University of Nairobi (UON) opened first-ever Ear Training Laboratory on 24th November 2015. The laboratory that is located at KNH, Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Clinic is one of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa for the training of ENT surgeons.
