FGM survivors to undergo clitoral reconstructive surgery at Karen Hospital
The Karen Hospital has embarked on an initiative dubbed Restore Pink Plus, which will see Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) survivors undergo clitoral reconstructive surgery.
According to Dr Abdullahi Adan, a Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon at The Karen Hospital, the initiative has been designed to assist FGM victims undergo clitoral reconstruction (Clitoroplasty surgery) in order to restore their identity and dignity.
Dr Adan, who is the pioneer of Restore Pink Plus initiative, will be the lead surgeon together with Dr Marci Bowers, Clitoraid’s Obstetrics/Gynecology surgeon (USA).
Last week, the surgeons conducted capacity building training for other Kenyan doctors on the new surgery – Clitoroplasty – and issued certificates to the trainees who will join the surgical team to conduct the week-long surgeries between Monday, 8th and Friday 12, May, 2017 at The Karen Hospital.
EMOTIONAL HEALING
The surgery allows women who have undergone incision to regain their clitoris and rejuvenate its sensation. It also allows them to go through counseling that is vital for emotional healing due to the traumatizing effects of FGM in their early childhood.
In Kenya, one in five women aged 15-49 years have undergone FGM but the rate is much higher in some communities that believe the ritual is crucial for social acceptance and increasing their daughters’ marriage prospects.
‘’Indeed, it is a noble cause for the beneficiaries and even a greater chance to train and build capacity in a bid to increase anti-FGM efforts in future in other counties where FGM is still rampant, said Dr Bowers.
The Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS) 2014 indicates that FGM is nearly universal in North Eastern region (98 per cent) compared to Nyanza (32 per cent), Rift Valley (27 per cent), and Eastern regions (26 per cent). The Western region recorded the lowest prevalence at 1 per cent.
However, the report indicates that as levels of awareness creation on the effects of FGM increases, the practice decreases among various communities.
