MTRH Joins Stakeholders in Marking International Day Against Drug Abuse
Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital joined other stakeholders in sensitizing the public to the ill effects of alcohol and drug use.
According to MTRH CEO Dr. Wilson Aruasa, In Kenya, it’s estimated that almost half the population 40-50% have used alcohol and other drugs inappropriately.
“We’ve taken a position based on studies from our team that no amount of alcohol; use is safe for human health. We should all be zero tolerant of alcohol, illicit drug use, and any other substances,” said the MTRH CEO.
“Effects are many at family levels families have been broken down because of illicit use of the substance, in the community level there are a lot of cases of crime that has been bolstered by the use of drugs and alcohol, and on workplaces there is lateness absenteeism,” he added.
Dr. Aruasa further noted that some of the most hard-hit sectors in terms of alcohol and drug abuse other than the health sector include the judiciary, legislature, and banking sectors among others.
“There is help if you find yourself or relative or neighbor who has been affected in this manner there is help right at the neighbor or family where you can get somebody to talk to,” said the MTRH boss.
MTRH has the best multi-disciplinary rehabilitation service both out and patient where it has 42 beds.
“The challenge we have is that the facility is always full since the problem is rampant. Our approach at MTRH is family-centered health where when counseling a client we talk to them like a family,” said Dr Aruasa.
Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital became the first public hospital in East and Central
Africa to perform successful cochlear implant surgery on a 17-year-old.
“This makes MTRH the first public hospital to undertake specialist surgery in the East and Central African region. The surgery, which took two hours, was on a young lady who was diagnosed with post-lingual sensor neural hearing loss and it went on successfully, “said MTRH CEO Dr Wilson Aruasa.
The surgery can be performed on children and adults who have developed hearing and speech but lost hearing this improves the hearing and quality of life for people with severe hearing loss.
The operation was conducted by Doctor Menach Owen, an Otolaryngologist at the facility, and Badr Eldin Mostafa from Ain Shams University in Egypt who were assisted by Doctor Rotich Gerald, Scrub Nurses Francis Koskei and Fridah Kotut, and audiologist Angela Kiragu.
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