Story by Sherine Atieno and Photos by Ian Obadha Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), in partnership with Avenue Healthcare, held a vibrant Diabetes Walk and Wellness Festival at Impala Park, Kisumu. The event brought together hundreds of residents for a day dedicated to raising awareness about diabetes, promoting healthy living, and offering free health services to the community. Participants took part in three walking categories designed to accommodate all fitness levels. The 10-kilometre route started from Tom Mboya, stretched to Dunga and wound back to Impala Park. The 5-kilometre group also walked from Impala Park to Dunga...
A Second Chance at Life
Story by Sherine Atieno and Photos by Ian Obadha When 54-year-old Anne Florence Akinyi from Siaya was first told she had stage four breast cancer in 2022, her world seemed to stop. What began as a small, painless boil on her breast slowly grew into a wound that changed the rhythm of her life. “My breast looked swollen, like that of a young woman breastfeeding,” she recalls softly. At first, Ms. Akinyi sought help at a local hospital in Siaya and later to the county’s referral hospital, where samples were taken and referred to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral...
Former CEO Pushes for Specialized Job Descriptions and Growth at JOOTRH.
Story by Lorraine Anyango and photos by Ondari Ogega and Ian Obadha The ongoing effort to draft Job Descriptions for staff at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) must accurately reflect staff specializations to maximize reward opportunities, emphasized former CEO Dr. Richard Lesiyampe during a visit today. Dr. Lesiyampe, whose 18-month tenure saw significant advancements at the hospital, stressed that the drafting process must capture specialty details with a high level of description. He advised that this delicate task be handled by highly specialized advisors with experience in National Parastatals Job Descriptions. “It’s important for procedures carried out...
JOOTRH Management to Attend Kenya School of Government Senior Management Course in Transition Push.
Story by Lorraine Anyango JOOTRH Management to Attend Kenya School of Government Senior Management Course in Transition Push. Bolstering its administrative and strategic capabilities, the senior heads of departments at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) are set to undertake the prestigious Senior Management Course (SMC) offered by the Kenya School of Government (KSG). This development follows a successful engagement yesterday between the JOOTRH Ag CEO, Dr. Clinton Joshua Okise, and Dr. Ng’ang’a, a director at KSG. The discussion focused on a collaborative approach to provide the leadership training to the facility’s senior managers at a substantially reduced...
Mama Kisumu Leads the Final Day of Free Breast Cancer Screening at JOOTRH
Story by Sherine Atieno and photos by Ondari Ogega “It is deeply fulfilling to tell a woman that she is free from breast cancer for the next 12 months after screening…..,” reflects Dr. Albert Ng’ong’a, surgical Resident at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH). His words embody the spirit of the free breast cancer screening campaign, a joint initiative between the Kisumu Breast Cancer Project (KBCP) and JOOTRH, which today marked the successful close of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The initiative has screened more than 400 women since it began, offering free breast examinations, mammograms, and biopsies to...
JOOTRH Successfully Removes Patient’s Lung
Story Lorraine Anyango and Photos by Ian Obadha The Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) has marked another significant milestone with the successful completion of a pneumonectomy, the surgical removal of an entire lung. This is the first procedure of its kind at the hospital and follows the recent launch of its specialized cardiothoracic and vascular surgery unit. The complex operation, performed this week, involved removing the damaged left lung of patient Pamela Achieng, a mother of eight, who had been suffering from an aspergilloma—a severe fungal infection. This is the second major surgery completed by the new...
Nurses at the Heart of Transformation
Story by Sherine Atieno and Photos by Ondari Ogega “Nurses are the backbone of healthcare; the first to comfort patients in distress and the last to leave their side.” These were the resounding sentiments that set the tone during the 67th International Annual Scientific Conference of the National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK) held at the Grand Royal Swiss Hotel, Kisumu, from 29th to 31st October 2025. Held under the theme “Nursing Power to Change the World: A Call to Transformative Healthcare,” the conference brought together nursing professionals, policymakers, healthcare CEOs, and leaders from across the country to reflect on...
The Resilience of a Young Sickle Cell Warrior
Story and photos by Ian Obadha Michael Ochieng, a 14-year-old sickle cell warrior, was recently the focus of the third apheresis case at Victoria Annex. Ochieng, the son of Pastor Jared Ndine, Michael has faced a series of medical challenges that would test the resolve of even the most seasoned individual. Born with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), Michael’s journey has been marked by frequent crises, including two severe episodes of dactylitis—the painful swelling of the hands and feet. The urgent need for the apheresis procedure, a critical blood exchange intervention, offered a much-needed path toward stability. “It’s been a tough...
KEMRI Launches Major Global Study on Probiotics to Save Preterm Babies’ Lives.
Story by Lorraine Anyango and photos by Ondari Ogega A landmark international study aiming to significantly reduce mortality among premature and undersized infants is set to begin enrolling participants in Kenya, with Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) confirmed as a key research site. The Probiotics in Preterm and Small for Gestational Age Infants (PROPS) trial is an international study testing whether probiotics can help save the lives of small and premature babies. These infants are 2–10 times more likely to die or suffer serious illnesses like infections, bowel disease, and poor growth compared to healthy newborns. The...
Surgical Camp Brings New Sound to Young Lives
Story by Ian Obadha and Photos by Ondari Ogega A silent struggle has been playing out for years. This struggle involves children battling Tympanoplasty, a condition where the eardrums are perforated over their formative years. However, a recent Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) surgical camp brought hope to these young lives, offering a chance at a brighter future. Among the beneficiaries were two students whose stories highlight the profound impact of this initiative. Hillary Midenyo, now a vibrant 18-year-old, has known the limitations of impaired hearing since the tender age of two. Frequent ear infections and regular puss discharge from...