Tenwek Hospital
WORLD MEDICAL MISSION, A Division of Samaritan’s Purse
Bomet, Kenya
tenwekhospital.org/
SITE PRECEPTORS:
Tom Dillard, MD (Pediatrics)
John Spriegel, MD (Medicine)
Tenwek Hospital, located in Bomet, Kenya, is a ministry of World Gospel Mission and Africa Gospel Church. The hospital, which started as a single-nurse dispensary in 1937, is now a 300-bed hospital and training center. In addition to being the area’s primary hospital, Tenwek serves as a referral hospital that receives patients from throughout the country.
Tenwek’s staff treats more than 140,000 outpatients for dental care, stomach aches, broken bones, HIV follow-up visits, and other health needs each year. The hospital, one of the most advanced in the region, also sees more than 14,000 inpatients and performs over 3,000 major surgeries yearly.
Background
The collaboration between Duke University and Tenwek Hospital first began in 1985 after Dr. Corey spent three months working with missionaries in the Western Kenyan Highlands. Duke Residents have the opportunity to work at this facility with the support of primarily American physicians stationed there permanently or part-time on missions. Residents stationed at Tenwek often refer to it as the highlight of their residency training due to the breadth of pathology encountered and the outstanding capacity of this well-run hospital to care for patients amidst adverse circumstances.
Clinical Opportunities
While at Tenwek, Duke residents serve as attendings (called consultants in Kenya) with on call duties. They can expect to see malaria, schistosomiasis, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, rheumatic fever, esophageal cancer, and many other problems endemic to East Africa. Tenwek offers a tremendous opportunity to learn how to provide quality patient care with limited resources as well as improve physical exam abilities. To learn more about the experience of Duke residents abroad, check out our field stories page.
Research
To date, no research efforts have been undertaken at Tenwek.
Amy Lee, Med-Peds, Spring 2017
