A New Chapter for Tenwek Hospital

Tenwek Hospital was so overcrowded in the early 1980s that sometimes three patients had to share a bed, and occasionally a fourth person slept on the floor underneath. Constructing a new patient ward required substantial funds, and while Franklin Graham wanted to help, Samaritan’s Purse had never taken on such an enormous project. 

Graham talked about the desperate conditions at Tenwek during a guest appearance on Jim Bakker’s TV show “The PTL Club.” Bakker asked everyone watching the show to send Samaritan’s Purse one dollar, and before long, the money was raised and construction started on the new ward. 

We have continued to support Tenwek for the past 40 years by building facilities and sending thousands of short-term missionary doctors and post-residents through World Medical Mission, a medical arm of Samaritan’s Purse. 

Yet our most significant Tenwek project is the recent completion of a seven-story, 400,000-square foot cardiothoracic centre with the capacity to serve 2,000 patients in critical need each year.

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE

The idea for a cardiothoracic centre came during one of Franklin Graham’s visits to Tenwek. Heart-related conditions are among the leading causes of death in Kenya, even in children. Sometimes simple strep throat infections that are not properly treated attack heart valves and cause irreparable damage and premature deaths. 

Graham shared his idea for a heart hospital with Dr. Russ White, a general and cardiothoracic surgeon who has served at Tenwek since 1997. But without the necessary equipment or staff, White didn’t think it was possible. 

“It wasn’t on my radar. It was not something I intended or thought possible,” he said. 

Although Tenwek began doing open heart procedures in 2008, White and the hospital staff couldn’t keep up with the demand. They only had one operating room dedicated to heart surgery and limited cardiac equipment. 

“We had a list of 850 patients waiting for heart surgery. Every week, somebody on that list died that we could have saved,” White said. 

An unlikely dream suddenly seemed possible when White received the prestigious Gerson L’Chaim Prize for Outstanding Christian Medical Missionary Service. He used the award to acquire heart ultrasound equipment, start a training programme in cardiothoracic procedures for African surgeons, and build two apartment towers to house surgical residents and faculty.

“I felt the Lord was speaking to me, ‘Let’s build a new unit,’” he said. “We were able to purchase a piece of land, and that began the vision of the new cardiothoracic centre.” 

Samaritan’s Purse provided much of the funding for the three-year construction project. The heart centre, which White is now director of, includes six operating rooms, a catheterisation lab, endoscopy procedure rooms, exam rooms, and a large education wing that houses simulation labs, classrooms, and conference rooms. The patient wards are outfitted with 138 beds and have space for an additional 38 if needed. 

Tenwek also significantly upgraded its infrastructure by building new water and sewage treatment plants, extending its existing hydroelectric grid, and developing a rainwater collection and reuse system. 

Dr. Arega Leta, director of the cardiothoracic surgery fellowship programme at Tenwek, said the new cardiac unit will save many lives. 

“This is a testament of people committed to make a difference. Otherwise there would not be any chance for millions of people.”

OPENING DOORS FOR THE GOSPEL

Teaching is a major component at Tenwek, not just for cardiac surgeons but for perfusionists, critical care nurses, anaesthetists, and other specialties in the field.

“I see us as the major centre in sub- Saharan Africa to be training people in a clearly Christian atmosphere,” White said. “We’re interested in providing excellent medical care to our patients, excellent medical teaching to our trainees, and discipleship in our faith, and to do this all in the Name of Christ and to share the Gospel.” 

As this exciting new chapter begins for Tenwek, World Medical Mission continues to send short-term volunteers and post-residents to support the hospital’s cardiac services. Dr. Stephen Girgis, a post-resident and paediatric cardiologist, is looking forward to working with a host of new equipment that will enhance patient diagnoses and treatment. 

However, he is most excited about the Christ-centred care that enfolds everything the staff does at Tenwek. 

“Caring for the physical heart is only one aspect of our job. Woven throughout all the care is the love of Jesus,” he said. “That thread of love holds all of our care together, through the days of joy and the tough days.” 

Sharing the Good News has been the hallmark of Tenwek from the beginning. 

“When we look back over the years, there is so much joy at being a part of His plan for medicine at Tenwek and at mission hospitals around the world. There is no greater satisfaction than that,” said Dr. Richard Furman, co-founder of World Medical Mission and a cardiothoracic surgeon. “To His Name goes all the glory.”

Samaritan’s Purse Chief Operating Officer Edward Graham participated in the dedication ceremony for the new facility and encouraged staff to make the most of every opportunity to offer spiritual healing. “It is my hope that no one ever goes into that building and leaves that building without hearing the message that Jesus died on a cross and His blood washed away the sins of the earth—that is the ultimate heart surgery,” he said. “That’s how you change the heart of man. That’s how you change the world.”