Nyeri steps up fight against surge in lifestyle disease

Nyeri Governor Kahiga Mutahi/FILE

AT first glance, 61-year-old Mary Kinani seems bubbly and not in any way living with the silent weight of diabetes and hypertension.

Eighteen years ago, Kinani, who resides in Kabendera village in Kieni East sub-county, began a life-changing journey with a sharp pain on the left side of her abdomen.

She didn’t give it much thought but went to a local clinic where she was given medication and returned home.

“Two days later, I went back to the hospital since the pain had progressed and I had started experiencing extreme dizziness. I decided to visit a higher-level hospital but before getting there, I felt weak and went to a nearby local clinic.

The doctor ran a blood sugar test and the levels were dangerously low. Kinani was attended to and sent to the county referral hospital, where she was told she was diabetic.

She was in denial for months but embraced the condition when the medication stabilised her sugar levels and her life went on normally, turning her into a champion.

Kinani currently visits Kiamathaga dispensary for monthly reviews and drug refills and is one of the beneficiaries of a partnership between the county government and PATH Kenya to implement a non-communicable diseases project on cardiometabolic diseases, specifically diabetes, hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia.

Through the partnership, a wide range  of interventions are implemented to reduce the burden of the diseases and support patients, including preventive approaches, upscaling facility readiness, capacity building and policy planning.

This is part of a broader effort to strengthen the county’s primary health care system in ensuring  communities have access to quality and continuous care.

The project, which was launched in 2024, is being operationalised in 40 health facilities including six level four hospitals, 26 health centres and eight dispensaries across all the eight subcounties.

As part of the efforts, a 58-member diabetes and hypertension patient support group was established as one of the project’s components in NCDs management, allowing patients to lean on each other for psychological support.

Martha Kamau, the nurse in charge of the NCD clinic, underscored the impact of the initiative and expressed hopes that it will ensure all patients live good-quality lives while receiving care and managing their conditions.

PATH Kenya’s support to the county has also helped strengthen NCD clinics through building the capacity of healthcare workers and data management system that currently has a register of over 8,500 patients for easy monitoring and management.

The project is also supporting Community Health Promoters in community NCD management while laboratories have been provided with testing equipment including total cholesterol machine and Hba1C test kits to serve the support sites.

“I wish to sincerely thank the County Government of Nyeri for the partnership that has allowed us to implement this project successfully,” said Lawrence Maimba, the NCD liaison officer under PATH Kenya.

Wilson Mwangi, another diabetic resident, who is 58 years old, explained that he had gone to the dispensary for a routine check three years ago when he was diagnosed with diabetes.

“I was at the farm and I started feeling unwell. I went to Naromoru Level 4 Hospital and was treated before I was referred to the county referral hospital where I was admitted for three weeks”.

Being in a support group, he said, enables him to share his experiences with his peers, get emotional support, receive education and share coping strategies on his condition.

The county is one of the regions that has continuously bore the burden of NCDs and previously, many patients strived to cope with the illnesses silently with little support which took a toll on their well-being.