Dr Faith Bob: From wanting to be an engineer to being top paediatric surgeon

Her hands move steadily and precisely.

Today, she’s conducting an undescended testis operation on a two-year-old boy.

With the coordinated effort of her team of four, the procedure is completed in about an hour.

This is just one of the many corrective and paediatric surgeries Dr. Faith Bob conducts. In just over three years as a specialist, she has performed close to 600 surgeries each year.

Dr. Faith narrates how she wanted to become an engineer all through her high school life, but decided to pursue medicine at the tail end when she was choosing her university placements.

Fast forward to med school, she found herself rotating in different parts of medicine as enjoyed internal medicine and surgery, which she referred to as her first love.

“The adrenaline and satisfaction I get from doing surgery is unmatched and I can’t describe it. Then when asked what I wanted to be growing up, I easily said I wanted to become a cardiothoracic surgeon,” Dr. Faith says.

It was not until her internship days when attending to children, that she realized the true joy she found in their care.

“I realized I loved working with children and wasn’t willing to give up my first love, surgery. So, I thought, why not combine the two? That’s how I ended up in paediatric surgery. I’m always happy to save a child and relieve the pain they’re going through. In doing so, I feel I’m contributing to building their future and helping them live a normal, healthy life,” she says proudly.

Dr. Faith is currently one of only 35 paediatric surgeons in the country and among just 13 women practicing in this male-dominated field. She is also one of only two paediatric surgeons practicing in Nakuru and the South Rift region.

She mentions that as a paediatric surgeon, the most common issues she encounters are birth defects, congenital malformations, disorders of the kidney system and hernias.

 In neonatal (children below 30 days) surgeries, gastrointestinal conditions are the most prevalent, and she performs about three to four of these procedures each month.

We inquired about her longest and most complicated surgery.

“Surgeries are technical, and this is because we deal with very small children, often from zero days old. I’ve had surgery lasting up to nine hours standing,” she says, noting that others go for even shorter times like thirty minutes.

With over eight years of extensive experience, Dr. Faith recognizes that her work is not without challenges.

“One of the challenges we face is that some healthcare workers don't fully understand the scope of paediatric surgery, which can lead to delayed referrals and missed opportunities for treatment. Some parents shy away from seeking medical care for their children with certain conditions due to fear of stigma while others lack information about the availability of life-changing paediatric services,” she says sadly.

Although this is the case, Dr. Faith says nothing brings her more joy than seeing parents, especially fathers, cry emotionally upon hearing that their children can now live normal lives.

To celebrate these success stories, she has made it a routine for them to ring a bell in her private practice.

Dr. Faith applauds the many female surgeons, especially paediatric surgeons, who go above and beyond to provide life-changing services to children.

Her message is clear and simple, especially to mothers.

“Early intervention is crucial. Don’t wait for your child to grow older or hope the problem will resolve itself. Seek medical attention as soon as possible for the best chance at a healthy future.”

She laughs, recalling how often parents ask if it’s safe to operate on a child, wondering, “Watoto hupelekwa surgery?” or if they should wait for their child to grow a little more.

Others ask, “Haiezi tibiwa na dawa?” However, she reassures them that early intervention is the key to ensuring the best outcome for their children.

Over and above that, Dr. Faith encourages more female medical officers to specialize in paediatric surgery as it is fulfilling and has high job satisfaction levels.