Story by Sherine Atieno and Dennise Akinyi

Photos by Ondari Ogega

 

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) has joined the global movement in digitized surgical care through the adoption of the Proximie platform—a cutting-edge telemedicine technology that allows live surgical procedures to be transmitted in real time for remote support and learning.
Speaking during the initial training session held in Theatre 4, Consultant General Surgeon and Vice President of the Surgical Society of Kenya (SSK), Dr. Ceasar Bitta, lauded the innovation as a transformative step in both surgical education and patient care. “Proximie is not just video. It allows two-way interaction. I can guide someone through surgery remotely—whether they are in Nairobi, the UK or South Africa. I can literally say ‘move your hand here’ or ‘touch that structure’ while watching and hearing everything clearly,” he explained.
The platform has already been installed in Makueni, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Homa Bay—and now Kisumu joins the list. At JOOTRH, Theatre 4 has been equipped as a pilot site. If the rollout proves impactful in supporting medical training and real-time consultations, the hospital hopes to expand the technology to other theatres.
Aside from enhancing surgical education, Proximie offers critical remote support to junior doctors handling complex cases. “Some procedures previously required us to send staff to Nairobi to operate with a senior surgeon. Now, we can operate here while receiving live expert guidance remotely,” added Dr. Bitta. “It also cuts down operating time and boosts surgeon confidence—ultimately benefiting the patient.”
In line with global data privacy standards, Proximie’s system automatically de-identifies patient information. Sensitive data, such as names on scans or visible body markings like tattoos, are automatically blocked or blurred. Additionally, explicit patient consent is required before any procedure is streamed or recorded, and all data is securely stored under JOOTRH’s control in its institutional cloud, with no downloads permitted by individuals.
The initial training cohort includes surgical residents, four theatre nurses, two theatre technicians—led by Theatre 4’s lead technician Ms. Apondi—as well as JOOTRH’s IT team and a biomedical officer. Country coordinator for Proximie in Kenya, Mr. James Ndung’u, was present to guide the installation and training process.
Streaming for now will remain internal—limited to JOOTRH’s theatre classroom—to allow full mastery of the system by staff before extending to external collaborations. Weekly live surgeries are scheduled every Monday and Tuesday, subject to patient consent.
Dr. Corazon Deya also joins the pioneering cohort of surgeons trained on the system, positioning JOOTRH at the forefront of surgical innovation and smart healthcare transformation in Western Kenya.