Relief as Kabonyo Kanyagwal residents in Kadibo Sub County as more than 1000 individuals received help during a two-day medical camp organized by Randburg Community Hospital and its partners.
The camp took place from Friday, February 23 to Saturday.
Alphonse Ouya, the CEO of the hospital, shared that the locals were provided with treatment for malaria, bilharzia, and other health concerns.
Ouya highlighted that the main issues in the area, especially the focus of the camp, revolved around these two health conditions.
He explained that the challenges stemmed from water backflow from Lake Victoria, which significantly impacted the community, leading to many being displaced from their homes.
"We still have people who upto now live in tents after they were displaced by backflow of water from Lake Victoria ", he told the media in Nyang'ande during the exercise,"Outa said
"I'm happy with the turnout from locals who were treated for the various ailments and received drugs too. On day one we received over 500 and day two now we see the numbers still increasing and we might suparse the 1000 target", he added
Ouya mentioned that, in addition to their own doctors, they had 15 extra medical officers from the Kisumu county government.
Plans are in place to expand medical assistance to Kobura ward, which consistently faces problems due to Lake Victoria's backflow.
This effort comes after the area experienced a significant outbreak of Bilharzia, a leading neglected tropical disease in Kisumu, last year.
Bilharzia is caused by parasitic worms affecting the urinary system. If the worms are in the blood vessels, it can harm other organs like the liver and kidneys. The county government deals with 1,200 to 1,500 cases of bilharzia every year.
The CEO of Randburg appealed to the National Government to collaborate with other like-minded partners to tackle waterborne diseases like Bilharzia and malaria in the region by providing nets and other resources.
He expressed appreciation to the community for their significant turnout and benefiting from the free medical services.
Ouya encouraged locals to prioritize regular checkups at various facilities for early treatment, avoiding potential complications.
Sharon Achieng, a General Nurse at the facility, urged the Nyang’ande community to make use of the medical camp and enroll in the National Hospital Insurance Fund for comprehensive medical care throughout the county.
Wilkister Onyango, a beneficiary, shared that she had been experiencing headaches for the past week and had been relying on painkillers while waiting to gather enough funds to visit the hospital.
Onyango highlighted the current requirement to pay for tests at health facilities without NHIF cards and expressed gratitude for receiving malaria treatment and medications during the camp
"I can say the process was seemless as compared to a lot of time taken in most public hospitals".
