JOOTRH performs first successful surgical removal of entire lung
The Ministry of Health has announced the first successful surgical removal of an entire lung performed at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) in Kisumu.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Health on its official X account on Saturday, November 1, 2025, the ministry confirmed the surgery as one of a kind in the Kisumu-based hospital, marking a major milestone in the health sector in Kenya.
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“The Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) has successfully performed its first pneumonectomy, the surgical removal of an entire lung, marking a major milestone for the facility’s new Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Unit,” MOH confirmed.
The ministry announced that the pneumonectomy surgical removal procedure was carried out on a woman who is a mother of eight and had been suffering from a severe fungal infection.
According to the Ministry of Health report, the procedure, which was led by Dr Juma Odoro and his team, saw the patient discharged after the successful surgery.
“The procedure was carried out on Pamela Achieng, a mother of eight suffering from a severe fungal infection known as aspergilloma. The surgery, led by Dr Juma Odoro and his team, was successful, and the patient has since been discharged,” MOH wrote.
On the other hand, the Ministry further lauded the JOOTRH’s growing capacity to offer complex, life-saving surgeries and supports Kenya’s efforts to expand access to specialised healthcare under Universal Health Coverage.
“This achievement underscores JOOTRH’s growing capacity to offer complex, life-saving surgeries and supports Kenya’s efforts to expand access to specialised healthcare under Universal Health Coverage (UHC),” MOH wrote.
KNH nose procedure
The JOOTRH pneumonectomy follows a recent successful groundbreaking six-hour procedure by Kenyatta National Hospital doctors.
For eight long years, 51-year-old Dormitila Yula hid her face from the world. What began as a small pimple on her nose in 2017 spiralled into a painful medical journey.
A string of surgeries, infections, and finally, a cancer diagnosis that left her without part of her nose and stripped away her confidence.
But on September 10, 2025, doctors at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) gave Dormitila a new lease on life through a groundbreaking six-hour procedure, Kenya’s first-ever zygomatic implant-retained nasal prosthesis surgery.
