Making Us Bold: How Obstetric Safe Surgery is Changing Lives in Kenya
In Nakuru County, Kenya, a perioperative nurse and her surgical team are proving that when you invest in the people behind the operating table, the ripple effects reach far beyond theatre walls.
"It is giving us harmony we never had before." Judy Nyambura Wachira leads a team briefing at Gilgil Hospital, Nakuru County, Kenya.
A Nurse Leading her Team with Purpose
Nakuru County, Kenya — Judy Nyambura Wachira, a perioperative nurse and theatre-in-charge at Gilgil Hospital, has dedicated herself to uniting her team around a single purpose: better care for every patient who comes through their doors.
Gilgil Hospital, located in Nakuru County, Kenya, serves as a spoke facility for the SURGfund-supported project “Obstetric Safe Surgery," which works to strengthen surgical teams through a comprehensive model, including by improving safety culture, teamwork, and standardized practices across facilities. Judy and her colleagues were among the first cohort to experience this training – and its impact was immediate. “The OSS project has really improved the services in our theatre,” she reflects.
“The surgical teams are forgotten in most of the other trainings.”
New Systems Ensure that No Mother is Forgotten
Judy describes herself as a perfectionist, a quality that has driven her to champion meaningful changes in her unit. Under her initiative, her team began maintaining a strict infection prevention bundle, following the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, and, crucially, tracking mothers following caesarean sections. It was a gap that had long gone unaddressed; previously, women left the hospital after surgery with no structured follow-up, disappearing into the community where infections could take hold silently, undetected and unaddressed.
“We now do follow-ups at day seven and day 30,” Judy explains. “Since we started tracking our mothers, we can now see how many infections we’re getting after C-sections, and that is helping us go back and ask – what are we not doing well? It is helping us improve.”
“It has really improved our skills. It has also improved our services to our mothers, and it has brought better outcomes.”
The theatre team at Gilgil Hospital performs a C-section, guided by updated safety protocols.
Building Bonds in the Theatre
The changes extend beyond patient outcomes. Judy has watched a stronger bond form among her team as they embrace collective leadership together. The staff at Gilgil come from a wide range of backgrounds, yet they are united by a shared ambition: to become leaders in expanding surgical capacity and raising the standard of care in their community.
“It is even helping our teamwork. It is giving us harmony which we never had before.”
Through the OSS project, Judy and her colleagues have been both mentored and empowered to mentor others – building a culture where everyday challenges in the operating room are met with confidence and skill. “It has also empowered me now with the training I did as a Perioperative nurse,” Judy remarks. “We have never seen a training like this one. The surgical teams are forgotten in most of the trainings, but this project brought us together and started making us bold.”
Passing It On – From Student to Teacher
Judy Nyambura Wachira, perioperative nurse and theatre-in-charge at Gilgil Hospital, Nakuru County, Kenya.
That spirit of empowerment carries forward. As Judy and her team pass these values on to the next generation of healthcare providers, the ripple effects of this training will reach far beyond the operating room – shaping the futures of both the providers who give care and the patients who receive it.
For Judy, the next chapter is just around the corner. At the beginning of July, she will step into a new role as one of the trainers in the upcoming round of OSS Nakuru training. This full-circle moment speaks to how far she and her team have come.
"The operating theatre nurse in charge, who was once among the first to experience this programme, will now guide other surgical teams through best practices in new project activities," says Dr. Mélanie Samson, Senior Technical Officer at the Global Surgery Foundation. "Judy brings the same boldness and dedication that have defined her work at Gilgil to every team she helps shape as a trainer."
“For Judy, the next chapter is just around the corner.”
The project team at Gilgil Hospital, including professionals from Jhpiego and GSF.
Voices in Global Surgery
Meaningful progress requires listening to those who know it best: the people with lived experience. Their unique expertise is irreplaceable when it comes to understanding and fixing the gaps in quality surgical care. In this series, we highlight the voices of those most affected to explore the critical barriers, challenges, and opportunities in achieving safe surgical care for all.
About this Project
The Obstetric Safe Surgery - Nakuru County Project (OSS Nakuru) is a targeted intervention designed to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes for women across Nakuru County, Kenya. This project strengthens the local health system by implementing a hub-and-spoke training model to build surgical team capacity, improving referral networks, and enhancing data quality for decision-making. It is implemented by the Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) and Jhpiego, in partnership with AIC Kijabe Hospital and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Kenya and the Nakuru County Government.
About the Funding & Implementation
This project is supported by SURGfund, the pooled financing mechanism of the Global Surgery Foundation (GSF). SURGfund is the world’s only pooled catalytic funding mechanism for strengthening surgical care systems. In addition to SURGfund financing, GSF provides strategic implementation support to ensure long-term sustainability.
Keep engaged with us!
Learn more about the Nakuru project
Donate to support the Nakuru project
Sign up with your email in the footer to receive updates
Your Next Article
Dr. Sourov Das serves as a postgraduate trainee in General Surgery at Comilla Medical College Hospital. This busy public facility in Bangladesh serves a vast population, including rural patients who often face significant barriers to specialized care. Read more