Aga Khan Hospital comes to the rescue of boy with coin stuck in his throat for weeks
What you need to know:
- The boy’s health was quickly deteriorating after he swallowed the coin while playing.
- Coin removed through endoscopy, a nonsurgical procedure used to examine a person's digestive tract.
- The specialist doctor who conducted the procedure did not want to be named, saying he did it out of charity.
- Kenyans from overseas and in the country offered to help the poor family start a business.
A team of doctors at Aga Khan Hospital in Mombasa have successfully removed a coin that was stuck in the throat of a three-and-a-half-year-old baby boy for two weeks.
The boy’s health was quickly deteriorating after he swallowed the coin while playing with his mates at school in Bamburi.
He had to live with the coin in his throat for lack of medical services in public hospitals after doctors went on strike on December 5, 2016.
But Friday morning, a paediatric gastroenterologists led a team of doctors in removing the coin that had caused agony to Samson Kaingu, who had difficulties feeding and excreting.
After the story was published by Nation.co.ke, Kenyans of goodwill from across the country and overseas, including private doctors, came forth and offered to ensure the child gets quick medical attention.
REMOVED THROUGH ENDOSCOPY
Aga Khan Hospital acting Medical Director Twahir Ahmed said the coin was removed through endoscopy, a nonsurgical procedure used to examine a person's digestive tract using an endoscope, a flexible tube with a light and camera attached to it.
He said after the boy was sedated, an endoscope was inserted into his throat and the coin was picked up and removed.
“It took a little bit of time to remove it because it was in the upper part of the food pipe. It is a foreign body and it may have caused erosions.
“But the main problem it was causing to the child was difficulty in feeding and eventually he might [have become] malnourished,” he said.
WORK OF CHARITY
The specialist doctor who conducted the procedure did not want to be named, saying he did it out of charity.
Dr Twahir said Aga Khan Hospital was touched by the baby’s plight after they were informed about it through a doctor in Nairobi.
The baby will be discharged Friday evening and return to the hospital for a review next week.
“We are giving back to the community. We could intervene in more cases but we are limited by resources.
"Ever since the doctors’ strike started, we have had an influx of patients. We want to thank philanthropic Kenyans who have come out to show love and support for this family,” he said.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media activists Saadia Ogle, based in Mombasa, and Neel Akber, based in the UK, used their platforms to urge well-wishers to help the family.
The two circulated the story online and Kenyans from overseas and in the country offered to help the poor family start a business.
The boy’s father, Mwangiri Kaingu Chakwe, thanked Kenyans for their support.
“The Nation, the doctors and Aga Khan Hospital Mombasa, I cannot thank you enough, God bless you.
“I am lucky because my case was highlighted. What about others in rural areas who are suffering?
“President Uhuru Kenyatta, please end [the] doctors’ strike. Pay them. We are suffering and not everyone can afford [to go to] private hospitals,” he added.
