Relief and hope as first children’s operating room opens at refugee camp

A paediatric operating room said to be the first in a refugee camp will officially open on Friday after the ceremony was delayed due to the pandemic and terrorist warnings.

The facility in Kakuma, Kenya, was set up by the charity Kids Operating Room (Kidsor), which installed more than 3,000 items of equipment and surgical tools to provide safe surgery at the site.

It has been in use for nearly a year and is expected to have capacity for operations on up to 1,000 children annually, providing life-saving treatments that were previously unavailable in Kakuma due to the lack of necessary surgical equipment and paediatric surgeons.

The camp, which has a bigger population than Dundee, is home to around 40,000 children.

Dr Neema Kaseje, paediatric surgeon and Kidsor advisory member, has been training a surgical team in Kenya to maximise use of the operating room (OR), while leading the procedures that have taken place so far.

She said: “It’s hard for most of us to imagine living in a refugee camp setting, let alone the thought of our child not being able to access the surgery that could save their life or alleviate them from terrible pain.

“I am looking forward to finally commemorating the opening of this crucial facility and I am honoured to be able to play a part in these operations and the social and economic benefits the installation has brought to the area.”

Jibril Hussein Imidi, 10, was one of the first patients to receive surgery from the doctor and her surgical team, having suffered from a hernia since birth.

After the 40-minute surgery, his mother, Aziza said: “We had so many challenges before he was operated on. We could not go a week without him falling sick. The operating room provided Jibril with the operation that he so desperately needed. He is now back at school and doing so well.”

Plans for the opening ceremony at the camp had previously been put on hold due to pandemic restrictions and repeated local terrorist warnings.

Edinburgh-headquartered Kidsor was founded by husbandand-wife philanthropists Garreth and Nicola Wood.

Mr Wood said: “This is only the start and we will strive to continue progressing this vital requirement not only throughout Africa but other developing countries.”