Over 60,000 Murang'a residents benefit from free medical camps

Close 60,000 Murang’a residents have benefited from free medical camps organised by former Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau.

Kamau who is vying for the governor seat through the Jubilee Party has so far organised 11 medical camps in different parts of the county, with each camp treating over 5,000 people over a period of two days.

This, Kamau has said, indicates the health sector in the county is suffering and that many people choose to have their ailments untreated mostly due to financial constraints.

Speaking at Turuturu Secondary School during a similar camp on Saturday, the aspirant said lack of drugs in health facilities also condemns patients to live in pain as many cannot afford to purchase the drugs from private pharmacies.

The medical camps treat optical and dental disorders, general illnesses and screens women for cervical cancer.

He expressed concerns that a big number of the women being screened for cervical cancer are turning out positive.

“In this medical camp, two out of 10 women screened have been found to be positive and appropriate action taken,” he said.

The medical camps started offering the screening services after many women came out seeking the service.

The situation, he said, is dire as most of the women would have waited until the disease progressed before seeking treatment, lowering their chances of undergoing successful treatment.

Kamau who also vied for the seat in 2017, pledged to streamline the health should he be elected.

“This suffering that I see people going through will be a thing of the past. Dispensaries have no drugs and people sometimes see no need to visit them. I will ensure they are all equipped with the right drugs and sufficient workers to ensure people access good medical care,” he said.

Further, Kamau pledged to have all subcounties have a Level 4 hospital to reduce the burden on the county referral hospital and make healthcare easily accessible to residents.

Subcounties such as Ithanga and Gatanga do not have such facilities forcing  residents to travel to Thika Level 5 hospital in Kiambu since its nearer that Murang’a Level 5 hospital.

“I am confident that with the kind of budget allocated to the health department, I can be able to make it the best in the country that other counties will be visiting to benchmark,” he added.

Kamau’s running mate Naomi Kagone said they are not organising the medical camps as part of their campaigns but to offer reprieve to the many who are suffering.

“This is a precursor to the things that we will do once we are elected because the health sector will be a priority,” she said.

Having a large population of sick people, she said, affects the economy adversely as they are unable to live to their full potential.

Kagone said devolution of the sector made it possible for counties to tailor-make their services to suit the needs of their people.

“Each county has its unique set of challenges that are best solved by people who understand them well,” she said.

-Edited by SKanyara