Category: Health Care

More than 2, 000 residents of Kandara Sub- County in Murang’a have benefited from a free medical camp, organized by fruit processing company, Delmonte Limited. In its annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity, the Firm facilitated the camp at Mukerenju Primary School, where local residents were screened for various types of cancers among other non-communicable diseases. Residents with common ailments were treated during the exercise attended by Delmonte’s Acting Managing Director, Wayne Cook and the Murang’a Director of Health and Sanitation, Dr. James Mburu. The free medical camp came at a time when there has been tussling between the County Government of Murang’a and members of Kandara Residents Association, over a portion land ceded by Delmonte company to the government. Last week, clashes were witnessed between police and youths from Kandara who invaded a 1,400-acre piece of land, which the Company has allocated to the Murang’a County Government, to establish various development projects including construction of a level-5 hospital. The residents have been accusing the County Government of ignoring a court order, barring any development of the said land, till a case before the court is heard and determined. Steering away from the land controversies, Wayne promised that his Company will continue to implement various projects in its Corporate Social Responsibility drive, aimed to benefit communities neighbouring the fruit processing company. ‘Delmonte Company will continue to collaborate with Murang’a County Government in many aspects of development and facilitate similar medical camps, which are beneficial to the community,’ he said. The Company, he noted, believes in the value of care, saying they were committed in participating in as many activities as possible within the community, with a view to fulfilling their core mandate of community service. ‘We can now join forces and work in partnership to bring change to the community, by working closely with all stakeholders, industries, medical professions and patients, who should always have a seat at the table to make their own decisions on their health.’ explained Wayne. The Managing Director observed that during their medical camps, medics engaged by the company have concentrated in facilitating cancer screening, considering that the disease is the second leading cause of mortality in the area after cardiovascular diseases. ‘During this month, which is set for creating awareness on breast cancer, the disease is being screened for free during the medical camps we have been organizing,’ he added. On his part, Dr. Mburu lauded the partnership with Delmonte, saying this has so far yielded fruits in various social and economic sectors. The County Government, Mburu noted, is working to improve on primary health care by engaging community health promoters, who will be traversing in rural areas and screening non-communicable diseases among residents. ‘We are enlisting the services of community health promoters, in order to effectively reach populations in the rural areas, where there is scarcity of medical services. This initiative will assist in early detection and management of non-communicable diseases among people in rural areas,’ added the Director. Mburu noted the partnership with Delmonte Company will help Murang’a government build a second level five hospital, a programme designed by Governor Irungu Kang’ata to support preventive health.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, has said it has become costly to combat malaria, hence the need for regional collaboration to eliminate the disease in Namibia and neighbouring countries.

Speaking here on Wednesday, Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised the continued burden of malaria on healthcare systems and its devastating impact on the population.

“The good news is that malaria is preventable and treatable. Equally important, the tools with which to prevent and manage it; that is why this disease has been eliminated in some places. I understand that here in southern Africa, at one point we were on the verge of eliminating it. Sadly, it is regaining its foothold and reaching areas and populations that were free from it at one point,” she said.

A strong, sustained regional response to malaria is a means to building stronger, more equitable and resilient health systems, and one key lever for lifting people out of poverty.

“As we may know to a certain extent, malaria is linked to poverty. Let us engage our communities directly as a means of developing and maintaining relationships that enable stakeholders to work together to address issues and promote the well-being of our people,” she said.

The deputy prime minister was speaking at the opening of the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) E8 High Level Meeting in Windhoek, to revive the fight against malaria in the region.

Elimination-8 (E8) is a coalition of eight countries in southern Africa that collaborate to eliminate malaria, which is endemic in Namibia and other SADC countries, except Lesotho.

She noted that eliminating malaria from SADC through Elimination-8 will greatly contribute to member states boasting healthier and more resilient populations by fostering relationships of trust between stakeholders to promote health, minimise risk, and mitigate the consequences of public health events.

“As member states, we must not place the burden of cross-border work on donors alone. It is our war, and therefore, we must not only be seen to talk about it, but we must contribute in a meaningful way to demonstrate ownership. Other players, such as the private sector, with a regional outlook, should also come to the table,” she said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Private Medical Facility, Sonotech Medical and Diagnostic Center, has urged all women to get screened as the world marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October.

The Medical Director of the Facility, Dr Grace Buckman, said available statistics indicated that breast cancer was the second leading cause of cancer deaths, hence the need to create more awareness for everyone to get screened, as early detection saves lives.

Speaking at a United Breast Cancer Awareness walk organised by the Facility, Dr Buckman said ‘from research, one in eight women would be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Undoubtedly, the statistics are very scary, and that is why we must all rise to the task of creating awareness.

‘Experts have it that women who get regularly screened for breast cancer have a 47% lower risk of dying from the disease compared to those who do not. So take advantage of our free screening offers this whole month and get checked.’

To help create more awareness, Sonotech Medical and Diagnostic Center is running a month-long campaign to raise awareness and to highlight the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle and on methods of prevention and early detection of breast cancer.

The theme for the campaign is ‘RISE’ meaning ‘Rally In Screening Everyone.’

‘We hope to screen up to 500 women this year for free. Considering the financial burdens of many, we will once again offer 50% discounts for all breast ultrasounds scans and 20% discount on Mammograms throughout the month. This gesture of Sonotech has often brought some financial relief to many individuals and families, helping them to save some money for other needs,’ she said.

Providing more details, she said, there would be talks, sharing of educational materials on breast cancer prevention, regular screening for early detection and where to find help when needed.

‘There will be TV, radio and social media engagements to educate the public on the disease. All branches of Sonotech and other partners will also be opened for free breast screening throughout the month,’ she said.

She added that donations from the public and from partners would be presented to support the activities of the breast cancer Unit of Korle-Bu teaching hospital to support their activities.

Sonotech’s October breast cancer awareness campaign has come a long way screening over 600, 000 women and offering financial relief to over 5000 women with free scans and up to 50% discounted breast ultrasound and mammogram scans over the past seven years.

This sustained campaign has challenged individuals, families and other organisations to get on board to help expand the scope of the fight against the disease. Not even

outbreak of the covid 19 pandemic could halt our momentum in this fight despite its impact on many institutions at the time.

As the world marks Breast Cancer Awareness, Sonotech celebrates and honours the courage and resilience of breast cancer survivors by encouraging creative and supportive messaging that embodies our mission for raising breast cancer awareness and support.

The United Breast Cancer Awareness walk was a prelude to activities slated for the month, and offered the staff of Sonotech and all partners the opportunity to take part in an enjoyable physical activity which was also used to raise public awareness on breast cancer.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ministry of Health has organized a number activities leading to this year’s Mashujaa day celebrations in Kericho County, whose theme is Universal Health Coverage (UHC), a key pillar in the Bottom-up Transformation Agenda (BETA).

According to the Kericho County Executive Committee for Health services Brenda Bii, one of the activities leading up to Mashujaa fete will be the launch of the Primary Health Care Networks (PCN), systems that link facility-based health services to the community fostering a seamless approach to healthcare delivery.

Speaking during a media sensitization forum, Bii said a week-long Medical Camp will also be held starting Monday October 9 to 18 in all the six sub-counties, where area residents will benefit from various medical checks and consultations with health experts.

Some of the services that will be provided at the medical camps include breast and cervical cancer screening, screening for Non-Communicable Disease (NCDs), Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, screening for Tuberculosis, immunizations, deworming, family planning, treatment of minor illnesses, HIV testing, blood drive and referral where necessary.

Residents of Kipkelion West Sub-County have been urged to visit Kasheen Chief’s camp on October 9, 2023, while Ainamoi Sub-County residents can visit the Ketepa Camp and Ainamoi Center on Tuesday October 10 for the medical camp.

At the same time, Bureti Sub-County residents will have a chance to access the medical camp at Kapkatet Stadium on Wednesday October 11, 2023, while residents of Soin/Sigowet Sub-County can get screened at Chepkemel Health Center on Thursday October 12, 2023.

Equally, the medical camp will be available in Belgut Sub-County October 16, 2023 at Sosiot stadium, while Kipkelion East Sub-County residents will be screened at Londiani town on October 17, 2023.

On the other hand, Kericho town residents will benefit from the medical camp on October 18, 2023 at Moi gardens, which will be the last day of the medical camps.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of health will also hold a 4-day medical expo from October 16 to 19, 2023 at Kapkatet Stadium involving both public and private industry players, to showcase medical services and products as well as technological innovations in the health sector.

According to Bii, on the first day of the medical expo, the theme will focus on Primary Health Care (PHC) which essential health care is made accessible, acceptable and affordable through full participation of individuals, families and communities.

She further said the role of Primary Health Care is providing high quality, low cost care to individuals and families, adding that Primary Health Care also serves as an early warning system to detect and stop disease outbreaks.

Therefore, Primary Health Care packages include promotive health education, preventive package comprising screening, immunization and monitoring. Another PHC packages include ambulance and emergency response, acute ambulatory care, palliative care and rehabilitative care.

As for the second day of the Medical Expo, the theme will focus on health information systems, Digitization and innovation, which is basically leveraging technology to reach the unreached.

On the third day of the medical expo, the theme will focus on human resource for health, while the fourth day the theme will revolve around healthcare financing and showcasing innovative health financing models for increased domestic resource for health.

Among other activities will be the launch of an oxygen plant at the Kericho County Referral Hospital.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The Government has reiterated its commitment in strengthening the health sector to ensure all Kenyans have access to all the health services they need.

Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary (PS) Mary Muthoni said all efforts geared towards transforming the health system aim at ensuring healthcare services are accessible, available and affordable to Kenyans from all walks of life.

She said through the new Social Health Insurance Bill that is among three others geared towards accelerating progress towards universal health coverage, Kenyans are set to access quality healthcare as envisioned by the Kenya Kwanza Government.

Speaking in Embu on Saturday where she was the chief guest during the launch of CDF-funded NHIF Program for Manyatta Constituency residents led by area MP Gitonga Mukunji, PS Muthoni said they were assessing all the health facilities in the country in preparation for the rollout of the new scheme.

‘This will help us equip our facilities in ensuring everyone who will be enrolled in the scheme can be treated anywhere in the country and in any facility be it private, public or faith-based,’ she said.

She said they also want to ensure all facilities are well equipped in terms of equipment and human resource, which will be made possible through the Facility Improvement Financing Bill.

‘We want to establish which facilities need equipping and the government is committed to ensure that is done to bring healthcare services close to the people,’ she said.

She at the same time said, the Community Health Promoters (CHPs) program unveiled recently was instrumental in attainment of Universal Health Coverage by promoting preventive healthcare and community well-being.

The PS stressed that CHPs will play a big role in early diagnosis of ailments and referrals if need be at the grassroots to save lives and called on Kenyans to ‘receive them whenever they come knocking on their doors.’

She said CHPs who will act as a link between the community and health facilities had been trained to provide a wide range of health services including nutrition education, immunization, prenatal care and treatment of minor ailments.

The PS also welcomed the initiative by MP Mukunji of paying NHIF fees for the needy in the constituency.

Six hundred households have been enrolled in the program at a cost of Sh1.8 million including boda boda riders who have been involved in road accidents and people with chronic illnesses.

The MP said this will be an ongoing programme and his office will look into ways of allocating more funds to accommodate more individuals.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The government is shifting focus to preventive healthcare services as part of its strategy to fix healthcare from the bottom, Health Cabinet Secretary, Susan Nakhumicha has said.

Nakhumicha says that previously, the government concentrated on curative services that saw the government invest in high-end hospitals.

She was speaking at Siaya county government headquarters when she paid a courtesy call to Siaya governor, James Orengo.

‘Our focus is to prevent diseases and rehabilitate those with chronic issues,’ said the Cabinet Secretary.

She said that the shift of focus was the reason why the government wants to invest heavily in community health promoters who will be expected to play a pivotal role in educating the people on hygiene and safe living.

Nakhumicha said that studies have shown that up to 70% of illnesses that lead Kenyans to hospital are preventable adding each of the community health promoters will be issued with a smartphone that has an application to enable them to collect household data.

‘County governments will have access to the data for their respective counties to enable them to make informed decisions on their healthcare needs,’ said the CS.

As part of the shift of focus from curative to preventive, Nakhumicha said that the national government will work hand in hand with the counties to equip and improve the infrastructure in level 2 hospitals that will act as referral points by the community health promoters.

Siaya governor, James Orengo welcomed the change of focus to preventive and the decision to rope in community health promoters who, he said, have for years played a critical role in the society.

Source: Kenya News Agency