Avenue Hospital in Kisumu county has acquired an ultra-modern machine that can help diagnose complex conditions associated with the ear, nose and throat and early detection of throat cancer.
The modern machine valued at Sh8 million is known as an ENT workstation and will be instrumental in revitalising access to improved technology-driven healthcare solutions in the region.
The hospital manager Dr Valentino Khoja said the equipment will help medical professionals in diagnosing and treating ENT disorders in the entire Nyanza and Western region.
Dr Khoja said that the ENT workstation, the first of its kind in western Kenya, is intended to optimise the healthcare customer experience at the facility and ease surgery for ENT cases and diagnosis for throat cancer prevalent in the area.
Avenue Hospital's head Dr George Got, who is neck surgeon, said the new machine is a breakthrough for the ENT clinic and will revolutionise healthcare service delivery.
“Previously we used to struggle a lot, we could use a handheld otoscope, whose lighting was not very good. Now with this machine, we have an automatic UV light otoscope which is very bright, making it easy to visualise the human eardrum,” Dr Got said.
With the machine, he said, the number of referrals from the region will increase due to the advanced services at the facility.
“We receive many patients with throat complaints. With this new equipment, we can screen cancer without having to take patients to the theatre,” the physician said.
The commissioning of the diagnostic equipment in Kisumu means that patients will no longer need to travel out of the region for the most modern cancer diagnosis.
“This machine will help us improve throat cancer screening and that will drastically cut down the cost of treatment for the patients,” Dr Got said.
The machine has other significant services, including Eustachian tube rehabilitation, ear washout to remove the buildup of earwax, nasopharyngoscopy (doctors’ examination of the back of the throat) and rhinoscopy (examination of the internal parts of the human nose), among others.
The development has seen the hospital receive patients from as far as Bungoma, Busia, Migori and other neighbouring counties.
