About 400 residents of Masinga Sub County in Machakos have benefited from a free medical outreach that catered for a variety of health issues such as diabetes, blood pressure, cancer screening and Covid 19 vaccination.
The County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Emergency services in Machakos, Dr Ruth Mutua, made the remarks at the Mukusu dispensary in Masinga during a free testing and treatment outreach camp, organized by Hepto in collaboration with the County Government of Machakos.
Dr Mutua urged Machakos residents to visit health facilities and undergo screening to establish their health conditions so that serious illnesses can be detected early and be treated.
The county executive said that ignoring diseases puts people in danger and raises the cost of disease medication.
“It is essential to undergo regular screening in order to identify illnesses at an early stage and ensure that we acquire proper medication earlier to avoid serious health implications, ” she said.
Mutua stated that the Machakos County Government has partnered with Hepto, a Non-profit Medical Organization based in the United States with branches in Somalia and Ethiopia, to increase drug supply to benefit a large number of residents who are unable to afford medication from private hospitals due to the high cost of treatment.
“Our partnership with Hepto organization has enabled us to bring more drugs to the dispensary and reach a large number of residents who were in need of medicine,” said Mutua.
She added that it was crucial to prioritize regular health screening for a variety of health issues in order to avoid discovering diseases at an advanced stage that necessitates more serious medical attention to treat.
On his part, Mohamed Ahmed, a Hepto representative, stated that the outreach was aimed at all residents to ensure that they are able to identify the various health issues that they have in order to receive proper medication.
Ahmed noted that they will collaborate with the County Government to provide training to local community health volunteers in the county in order to provide them with skills and knowledge on various health conditions so that they can educate other villagers.
He added that the organization is targeting to expand its services to various parts of the country, while also donating advanced medical equipment and organizing surgical medical camps.
“We plan to expand our programs to cover surgical medical camps and donate advanced medical equipment to needy Health Centers and hospitals in Machakos and outside,” said Ahmed.
By Anne Kangero and Conceptah Isanya
