Major boost for Kenya athletes

Olympic 800 champion David Rudisha and his two-lap race ‘rival’ Aflred Kirwa adressing journalists yesterday at St Luke’s Orthopedic Hospital in Eldoret.

What you need to know:

  • It allows the doctor to look at the joint surfaces and the surrounding soft tissues, such as the ligaments that connect bones and the tough tissue that covers the ends of the bones at the joints cartilage.

For a long time now, Kenyan athletes have had to make long and expensive trips abroad for treatment in bone-related problems.

However, the runners can now rest easy after a facility that will now take care of bone scans was launched in Eldoret.

The launch of Arthroscopy Medical Camp at St. Luke’s Orthopedic Hospital on Tuesday will help maintain the highest standards of athletics in Kenya by reducing costs athletes incur while seeking medication in foreign countries.

Arthroscopy is a surgical procedure that allows a doctor to look at the inside of a joint in the body through a thin viewing instrument called an arthroscope.

It allows the doctor to look at the joint surfaces and the surrounding soft tissues, such as the ligaments that connect bones and the tough tissue that covers the ends of the bones at the joints cartilage.

This procedure can be used to diagnose a joint problem, perform surgery that repairs a joint problem, remove a loose or foreign body, or monitor a disease or the effectiveness of a treatment. Arthroscopy is commonly performed on the knee,shoulder, and ankle. It also can be done on the hip, elbow and wrist.

Olympic Games 800m champion and world record holder David Lekuta Rudisha alongside 2007 Osaka World championships 800m gold medallist Alfred Kirwa graced the launch of the facility.

Rudisha said the move will lift the standards of athletics in Kenya to even greater heights.

“It is so good to see institutions reach out in support of sports in the country,” Rudisha said.

“It is now going to be even easier for athletes now that these crucial medical advices have been brought to the doorsteps.”

On his part, Kirwa recounted the many foreign trips he had make to undergo certain medical procedures. “This programme will ease such costly outings,” Kirwa said.
“With the introduction of this medical programme most especially in Eldoret, the home of the athletes, we will be training with little fear of picking injuries,” said Kirwa.

St. Luke’s Board of Governors chairman, Prof. Simon Mining’, said the institution has set aside a Sh3 million boost the programme as a way of giving back to the community by supporting athletics in Kenya.

“We brought the programme to Eldoret because it’s the epicenter of athletics. It is our pleasure to be part of Kenya’s athletics history,” Mining’ said.

“We’ll conduct raining to sensitise the public on problems relates to bones.”

Scanning kicked off on Tuesday while surgeries will begin on Wednesday next week.