Balala to leave hospital after nose surgery

Tourism minister Najib Balala may leave hospital on Thursday after surgery on his nose.

Nairobi Hospital surgeon Prof Muthure Macharia said the minister was responding well to treatment and will be discharged in 24 to 48 hours.

“The minister is in a stable condition and he is feeding well,” said Prof Macharia.

The operation was to correct an anomaly in his nose known as deviation of the nasal septum, a condition frequently caused by impact trauma, such as by a blow to the face.

It can also be a congenital disorder, caused by compression of the nose during childbirth.

A deviated septum can go undetected for years without need for correction, Prof Macharia said or can be corrected with a minor surgery.

The surgeon cuts away the obstructing matter through the nostril and the procedure usually takes an hour or so. The patient may take between two days to four weeks to heal.

“The situation could have started when he was young, but in this case the minister had it for over one year and it disturbed him during sleep,” said Prof Macharia.

He allayed fears that the minister collapsed before he was taken to the hospital. He said the operation was scheduled three weeks ago.