In a significant medical breakthrough for Kenya, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) in Kisumu has successfully performed the country’s first automated Red Blood Cell Exchange (RBCx).
This advanced procedure offers new hope for the thousands of Kenyans, particularly children, living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).
The historic procedure was conducted at the hospital’s Victoria Annex. An automated RBCx is a highly specialized intervention that replaces a patient’s sickled red blood cells with healthy donor cells, significantly improving their health and quality of life.
Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o celebrated the achievement, noting that the hospital's new status as a parastatal under the State Department of Medical Services has helped enable this milestone. "JOOTRH has achieved a first in the country's public health system," the governor stated.The impact of this procedure is expected to be profound, especially in the Nyanza and Western regions, which have the highest burden of SCD in the country.
Approximately 18% of children in these regions carry the sickle cell trait, and 4.5% develop the disease.1 Across Kenya, an estimated 14,000 children are born with SCD annually, and without intervention, many do not survive to their fifth birthday.
Governor Nyong’o commended the team behind the breakthrough, including JOOTRH’s acting CEO Joshua Okise and pediatrician Dr. Joy Muyonga.
He highlighted that this new treatment will alleviate the “anxiety, worry, and suffering” long experienced by people with SCD.
