Residents of Kiandu ward in Tetu constituency were given an early Christmas treat over the weekend after area MP Geoffrey Wandeto organised a free medical camp in the area.
But unlike other health camps, this one also offered free legal assistance to those who had issues relating to land and Gender Based Violence (GBV).
The 4,000 people who attended the one-day camp also benefited from free drugs while those who required further checkups were referred to other medical facilities.
While addressing the media on the sidelines of the event, Wandeto said organizers were impressed with the outcome and hoped the camp will help in addressing the health challenges facing the people in the constituency.
“So far, we have received 3,000 to 4,000 people of whom 1,000 have already gotten their treatment. The rest are still undergoing the various stages of treatment. We are also running a parallel legal aid camp to basically help people with legal issues, land issues, inheritance cases. At the end of the day, we hope to see around 5,000 people,” he told the media.
Noteworthy however was the high number of people who visited the camp with issues related to non-communicable diseases which Wandeto described as health concerns.
He said efforts should now be geared towards sensitizing members of the public on the need for early screening for such diseases to avert unforeseen complications later in life.
The lawmaker also cited cancer, hypertension and diabetes as the most prevalent NCDs in the area and the larger county of Nyeri.
“Some of the issues that are coming up very frequently as expected are non-communicable diseases. The most prevalent are diabetes, cancer and hypertension. In as much as we are not able to screen diseases like cancer today, we have seen a lot of cases to do with diabetes and hypertension. We are also running a busy dental unit and the good news is that we have 250 medical personnel, a well-stocked pharmacy and most people have got the medical help they require,” stated Wandeto.
According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS) the country is currently grappling with an epidemiological transition in its disease burden from traditionally known communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension.
This challenge is currently to blame for 39 per cent of all deaths in the country according to the 2018 World Health Organization report.
“Kenya is experiencing an epidemiological transition in its disease burden from predominantly communicable diseases to a rapidly rising burden of non-communicable diseases. This has resulted in a “triple burden of disease,” which is increasingly straining the health system.
“It is estimated that 39 per cent of deaths in the country are as a result of NCDs (WHO 2018), with the four major NCDs: cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancers, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases accounting for 57 per cent of all NCD Deaths,” reads part of the key findings of the survey.
John Njuguna Kamau,a resident of Kiandu lauded the organizers of the camp which he said had enabled him access to much needed medication for his hypertension condition.
He said he had earlier on had to do without the lifesaving drugs for some time after he ran out of money but was now grateful the camp had come as a blessing on time.
“My challenges began after I underwent an operation to remove my appendix at the Outspan Hospital and later got diagnosed with hypertension. Unfortunately, the cost of purchasing the drugs has been a big challenge for me and I almost gave up after I found there was no money to purchase the much-needed drugs from the local pharmacy. I however thank our MP for spearheading this initiative which has literally turned out to be a lifeline for me since I have received all the drugs that I needed. Our MP is a real man of action,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by Regina Wangui who thanked the MP and other stakeholders for organising the camp in the area at a time many people were struggling with the high cost of living.
She said she had also been treated and given all the drugs she needed and hoped similar initiatives will be forthcoming in the future.
On his part Ahadi Kenya CEO Stanley Kamau challenged the county governments of Murang’a and Nyeri to stock local health facilities like dispensaries in order to enable those living in far flung areas to easily access health services much easier.
Kamau also said there was a need to construct more maternity wards in local dispensaries to attend to cases of women who cannot afford to pay for the services of ambulances and private vehicles to rush them to hospitals that may be far from where they live.
“I am appealing to the County governments of Nyeri and Murang’a to do much more in improving health facilities in the rural areas to address health concerns of those living there. One of the things especially needed in our local dispensaries are drugs and pharmaceutical products that are often in short supply. I am now appealing to Governors of these two counties to address these challenges in order to avail quality health care to all,” he appealed.
Other partners who contributed in organising the camp included the Outspan Hospital, Karen and Menelik Hospitals, Mwai Kibaki Hospital, Britam Insurance Company and Tetu Vocational Training College among many other stakeholders.
By Samuel Maina
