Doctor In Kenya Performs Brain Surgery On The Wrong Person

The Guardian — A neurosurgeon at Kenya’s largest hospital has been suspended after performing brain surgery on the wrong patient.

The scandal, which prompted an outpouring of horror on social media, is the latest drama to hit the Kenyatta National Hospital in recent weeks, after allegations of staff sexually assaulting patients, and the theft of a baby.

The hospital said the surgeon, as well as two nurses and an anaesthetist, had been suspended pending an investigation into the operation “on the wrong patient”…

…One required surgery to remove a blood clot to his brain, while the other needed only medication for a swollen head.

Hours into the surgery doctors discovered there was no blood clot in the brain of their patient, and that they were in fact operating on the wrong man, the newspaper reported.

“The hospital deeply regrets this event and has done all it can to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the patient in question,” read the statement from the hospital, adding the patient was “in recovery and progressing well”.

This is incredibly Kenya. Just Kenya being super Kenya. I want to be surprised but honestly can you really be surprised that the diagnoses method in Kenya is the doctor walks into the room, looks at a patient from a distance, notices a bump on his head and says “prep that guy for brain surgery”? Nope, you sure can’t.

Also, some more classic Kenyan hospital stuff.

is the latest drama to hit the Kenyatta National Hospital in recent weeks, after allegations of staff sexually assaulting patients, and the theft of a baby

To be fair, I’m sure that happens everywhere.

My main question is this — why do we even know about this? Doctor has to go all-in on this guy needing brain surgery. Snake it ’til you make it. Tell the world that lump was brain surgery worthy and nobody asks a single question. Only mistake I see here is admitting you were wrong.