A patient from the Hagadera refugee camp can afford a smile after medics from Garissa County Referral Hospital successfully manage a complex pregnancy and goiter.
Bisharo Iftin, a 21-year-old refugee from Somalia, has been suffering from goiter for over a decade.
She gave birth to a baby girl last week and received lifesaving treatment for her thyroid condition on Thursday after three-hour surgery.
Iftin was referred to the hospital from the Hagadera refugee camp in Dadaab subcounty.
She arrived in critical condition, in the final stages of pregnancy and suffering from a dangerously enlarged thyroid. Garissa referral hospital CEO Mahat Salah celebrated the success.
“This was a referral case from the Hagadera refugee camp. She arrived in critical condition, in the final stages of pregnancy and was also suffering from a dangerously large thyroid enlargement that threatened her life,” he said.
Her condition continued to worsen after she failed to afford transport and medical treatment in Nairobi.
Dr Mohamed Nur, a vascular surgeon who was among the team that attended to the patient, said despite the complexity of the procedure, the team of doctors combined efforts to ensure the surgery was successful.
“We are happy to successfully operate on this young woman who had labour-related complications and a large multinodular goiter, which needed immediate surgical intervention. It was a delicate and technical procedure,” he said.
The goiter affected both lobes of the thyroid and had caused airway obstruction.
“Due to the complex nature of the case, we had to ensure that every step of the surgery was meticulously planned and executed. We’re proud to see her recovering well, and we remain optimistic about her full recovery,” Nur said.
