In Summary
- Dr. Florentius Koech is popularly referred to as F. Koech in Eldoret and the larger North Rift region.
- The iconic medic was the pioneer neurosurgeon to pitch tent in Eldoret and has since performed hundreds of surgeries.
- His is a highly specialised discipline and the medic has received lots of accolades and gifts from the patients he has helped them to regain their health.
The number of neurosurgeons in Kenya is just around 50. This means that for one million Kenyans, there is only one neurosurgeon.
Because of this disparity, Kenya’s neurosurgeons are always faced with a packed schedule each and every day. Neurosurgery treatment is basically required for people suffering from head and spinal cord traumas, cancers and congenital malformations.
Additionally, various neurodegenerative diseases are also treated by neurosurgeons.
In Kenya, the maximum number of physicians enrolled into a neurosurgeon class is 6. This is because the speciality requires careful hands-on training with the lecturers.
Before studying neurosurgery, applicants go through a difficult intake process that cuts down on the number of medics allowed.
Meet Dr. Florentius Koech
Dr. Florentius Koech is a renowned neurosurgeon who has an illustrious career in medicine. He is also a lecturer at the Moi University School of Medicine.
Popularly known as F. Koech, his love for medicine grew when aged 10 years after he stayed in an isolation ward for 3 months. It took the intervention of an American neurosurgeon who ordered drugs from abroad that helped in restoring his health. It is suspected he was suffering from tetanus.
“The doctor changed my life. I wanted to be like him and to make a difference because from the pain I had, he gave me hope. All through high school, I knew I wanted to be a neurosurgeon,” he told the Standard.
F. Koech studied at Tenwek High School for ‘O’ levels then proceeded to Alliance High School for his ‘A’ levels. He studied medicine at University of Nairobi, completing his undergraduate degree in 1996. He then specialized in general surgery and finished his master’s degree in 2002.
Declining Australian Citizenship
In 2004, the iconic medic went on to study at University of Melbourne, Australia then did his internship at Indiana University. It is reported that he turned down an offer of being an Australian citizen because he was against brain drain.
When he came back to Kenya and settled in Eldoret as a neurosurgeon, he was the only specialist in this discipline outside Nairobi. Dr. Koech received accolades for his dedication in saving lives during the deadly 2008 post election violence. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Top Hill Brain and Spine Hospital.
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