Free Lamu Surgical Camp

PRESS RELEASE

LAMU, KENYA — More than 70 medical specialists and health professionals will converge in Lamu County from 25^th to 30 January 2027 for a week-long free specialist surgical camp aimed at expanding access to essential surgical care while strengthening the county’s healthcare system.

The initiative, led by Rotary District 9216, the Surgical Society of Kenya (SSK), and the Lamu County Government, will bring together specialists from across Kenya to work alongside county health teams and provide treatment to patients who may otherwise face lengthy waits or significant financial barriers to accessing specialist care.

The organisers expect to screen more than 1,500 people, conduct over 800 specialist assessments and perform approximately 500 surgical procedures during the camp.

The specialist team will include general surgeons, neurosurgeons, ophthalmic surgeons, gynaecologists, paediatric surgeons, urologists, anaesthetists and other healthcare professionals. Procedures are expected to include neurosurgery, cataract and glaucoma surgery, fistula repair, paediatric surgery and other general surgical procedures.

Bringing Specialist Care Closer to Communities

For residents of Lamu County, accessing specialist treatment can involve more than simply reaching a hospital. Transport, accommodation, specialist consultations and treatment costs can place healthcare beyond the reach of families already living on limited incomes.

The January camp is intended to reduce these barriers by bringing specialist services closer to communities across the county.

The communities being reached will extend beyond Lamu Island to Lamu East, Mokowe, Mpeketoni, Lamu West, Hindi, Witu and surrounding areas.

Lamu County health teams will support patient identification, community mobilisation and referrals. The county is encouraging residents with surgical conditions, people awaiting surgery and those requiring specialist assessment to come forward, including patients without medical cover.

For patients who receive treatment, the impact could extend well beyond the operating theatre. Successful surgery can enable people to return to work, resume caring for their families and reduce the financial and emotional burden associated with untreated conditions.

Strengthening Lamu’s Health Workforce

While providing immediate treatment is a major objective, organisers say the camp is also designed to strengthen Lamu’s healthcare system for the future.

Visiting specialists will work alongside county surgeons, clinicians, nurses and theatre teams. Through mentorship, skills sharing and hands-on learning, local health professionals will gain exposure to specialist surgical techniques and practices.

Medical students and trainees will also have opportunities to learn from the visiting specialists.

Rotarian Mwende Mulinge, Disease Prevention and Treatment Lead for Rotary District 9216, said the initiative is intended to create an impact that continues after the surgical team leaves.

“This camp is about creating lasting impact beyond the operating theatre.”

She said providing surgery to people who might otherwise be unable to afford it can help reduce the anxiety and financial burden associated with waiting for treatment, while enabling patients to return to work, support their families and contribute to their livelihoods.

Fourth Camp Under the Rotary–SSK Partnership

The Lamu camp is the fourth specialist surgical camp delivered through the Rotary–SSK partnership.

Previous camps have been held in Narok in 2023, Makueni in 2024 and Homa Bay in 2025.

In Narok, 385 patients were screened and 281 surgeries were performed. In Makueni, 1,434 people were screened and 511 surgeries undertaken, while Homa Bay recorded 621 people screened and 256 surgeries.

The camps have also provided useful information about community health needs. In Makueni, specialists identified more than 40 patients with thyroid or goitre conditions. The unusually high number prompted the county to investigate the prevalence and possible causes of goitre in the area.

This demonstrates how specialist surgical camps can serve not only as a way of addressing treatment backlogs, but also as an opportunity to generate information that can help counties understand health challenges, strengthen referral systems and identify areas requiring further attention.

Towards a Sustainable Model

Rotary District 9216 and the Surgical Society of Kenya hope to develop a model capable of supporting at least three specialist surgical camps each year in counties where unmet need is greatest.

The long-term goal is to combine specialist treatment with mentorship, health data, skills transfer and county-led follow-up.

For Lamu, the January initiative will provide immediate access to specialist care while contributing to the development of local capacity.

The organisers say the ultimate measure of success will not simply be the number of operations completed. It will also be whether patients are able to live and work more independently, whether healthcare workers gain skills that remain in the county, and whether Lamu has better information and systems to respond to future surgical needs.

The Lamu Specialist Surgical Camp will take place from 25–30 January 2027.