The Kisii County government has entered into a partnership with the Kibos International Health Foundation in a bid to improve healthcare services, especially in the treatment and management of cardiovascular and cancer diseases.
The MOU was signed at the Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital (KTRH) in Kisii town after deliberations between county officials and medical specialists in cardiovascular and oncology surgery from India, Canada, Singapore, and Japan under the Kibos Foundation.
Speaking at the health facility, Kisii Governor Simba Arati expressed his gratitude to the partners, saying the agreement will lead to the establishment of a cardiovascular centre that will provide training, research, and treatment within the Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB).
Arati noted that KTRH will also receive a catheterization laboratory machine that will provide diagnosis and specialised treatment to patients with cardiovascular diseases through the partnership.
The Governor pointed out that patients with heart conditions in Kisii are forced to travel to Coast General Hospital or Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) where the specialised machine is available to seek treatment, and therefore, setting it up in Kisii will be a game changer.
In addition, he noted the increasing demand for pathological support and cancer patient care, adding that the county seeks to increase the number of specialists in the area in readiness for the upcoming Kisii Cancer Diagnostic and Treatment Centre.
Kibos Foundation CEO, Dr. Ambrose Kibos, expressed his joy regarding the partnership, adding that the MOU is a broad one encompassing research, training, and other benefits.
Dr. Kibos noted that the setting up of the catheterization laboratory machine will be key to the treatment of coronary heart diseases because, without it, the specialists will just be conducting primary case setting.
“We are determined to collaborate with Kisii County and look forward to working together for the benefit of the people in this county,” he said.
On her part, Canadian surgeon Professor Teresa Kieser noted that heart diseases and cancer remain the major causes of death worldwide, with three-quarters of cardiovascular deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries.
Prof. Keiser decried the lack of equipment to prevent, diagnose, monitor, and treat most cardiovascular diseases within the health facilities in the region, even though the diseases are preventable.
She underscored the need to provide specialist doctors tackling cardiovascular diseases with the equipment and specialised training to tackle the cases as they arise.
Prof. Keiser lauded the partnership between the county and the foundation, saying it explores avenues for sustainable healthcare for the Kenyan people.
Kibos International Health Foundation also donated a portable, high-resolution ultrasound machine that detects heart diseases during the visit.
Further, the Governor unveiled two anaesthetic machines, baby warmers for paediatric surgeries, a chemobiosafety cabinet for cancer services, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines for the neonatal unit, and a cardiovascular set for heart surgeries that had been procured to boost the infrastructure at KTRH.
By Mercy Osongo
