Providing Compassionate Care Across Borders

According to UNHCR's 2022 data, there are more than 8,341 Yemeni refugees currently residing in Somalia. At the beginning of this year, we received a referral request from Somalia concerning one of the Yemeni refugees in Somalia. He was suffering from varicocele, an enlargement of the veins of a part of his genitals causing pain.

"A urologist in Somalia asked if our team could perform the surgery laparoscopically, which involves using small incisions and a small camera for procedures inside the abdomen or pelvis. They could only perform the surgery openly there. This would be too complicated due to the presence of approximately 20 veins in the area," shared Dr. Rich, our head of surgery.

Dr. Rich agreed to the request, disclosing to the patient that it would be the first time we performed this type of surgery. Thankfully, we are well-equipped, and it fell well within our skill set. "After thorough research on the surgery, we decided we could do it. It's an area where we frequently operate for hernias. It is actually simpler than a hernia operation," concluded Dr. Rich.

The surgery was performed as a day case, the patient was released to go home on the same day. He was advised to come back for review after a week before traveling back home. Through WhatsApp follow-up, the patient reports that he is faring well and is grateful to our surgical team.

Always grateful to serve patients within Kenya and beyond!

#Connected #CompassionateHealthcare