More pediatric anesthesiologists are based in Nairobi

14 out of the only 20 pediatric anesthesiologists in Kenya works in Nairobi which makes it difficult for children in other counties to get pediatric care.

If your child has a sickness, injury or disease which requires surgery, chances are that a pediatric anesthesiologist is one of the specialist who will be present to assist in the surgery together with the pediatric surgeon and various other specialist doctors.

An anaesthesiologist is a doctor with training in the administration of drugs or various other agents to stop or minimize pain during surgery or various other medical procedures. A pediatric anethesiologists thereby a is doctor with training to administer such drugs and agents in infants, Children or adolescents undergoing surgery or various other therapeutic procedures. Only 20 such specialist exist in the country with Nairobi housing 14 out of the 20. 

This was according to Dr. Praxedes Okutyi, the founding member and Chairperson of Society of Pediatric Anaesthesiologists Kenya Chapter who was speaking during the launch of the professional association at Gertrude Children Hospital in Nairobi. The Society for Pediatric Anesthesia advances the safety and quality of anesthesia care, perioperative care, and pain management in children by educating clinicians, supporting research, and fostering collaboration among clinicians, patient families, and professional organizations worldwide. 

“The reason why we decided to form the Society of Pediatric Anathesiologists Kenya Chapter is because we wanted a platform where we could advocate for better pediatric anesthesia for children seeking treatment for ailments requiring surgery. We realized that the surgical burden is high because you find that 50 per cent of Kenya’s population is composed of children under 14 years in low and middle income counties, 85 per cent of whom will encounter need for surgery before they attain the age of 20 years,” Dr Okutyi said.

She further said that capacity building and lobbying has to be done in order to increase the numbers of pediatric anaethesiologists. “Going by International standards pediatric Anesthesiologists is supposed to assist the pediatric surgeon in administration of anesthesia during surgery but if you look at the situation in Kenya we are very few. In the whole country there are only 20 pediatric anaethesiologists with majority 14 in based in the capital Nairobi. The other 46 counties are hardly represented. So we started the society with the aim of capacity building and as a lobby to increase the numbers of Pediatric Anaethesiologists so that we are able to meet the surgical demand for child patients,” she added.