Villagers benefit after local dispensaries get donor boost

Residents of remote villages in Tana Delta Sub County, Tana River County, have expressed joy after the Tana River County government, in collaboration with stakeholders, launched medical outreach programmes in the area.

At least 9,000 residents drawn from Kibokoni, Buramoyo, Darga, Odarda, Mbebezoni, and Shirikisho villages have been saved from the agony of traveling long distances to seek medical services.

Pregnant women and children are the beneficiaries, and they enjoy services such as immunization, pre- and antenatal care, and others in the open-air medical camps at Shirikisho village.

 According to Salma Wadhe, residents used to have to travel long distances to the nearest health dispensary, which is seven kilometers away at Semikaro.

 The seven villages are in a flood-prone area with a poor road network, which adds to their problems. This forced the County government to seek help from the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and the Kenya Red Cross to equip outreach clinics with essential medicines and other medical services, including health education.

Bibi Mbete, a health officer with Unicef Kenya, said that more than 1,000 households were benefiting from the programme, which is poised to expand to other areas of Tana Delta through generous financial support from the UK Government (UKAid), among other donors and development partners. The UK Government's support is instrumental in the program's expansion, demonstrating the global commitment to improving healthcare in Tana Delta.

“We have come together to offer a set of integrated services that include immunization services for children under the age of five and pregnant women, ANC services for pregnant women, and treatment of minor ailments that occur on a day-to-day basis but more so during drought and flood periods,” she said.

“We are deeply grateful for the benefits of the medical outreaches. The support from Unicef and the Kenya Red Cross, in conjunction with the County government, has truly transformed health matters in our area,” said Wadhe, expressing her heartfelt appreciation for the collaborative efforts.

She added that they have been educated on many health matters, including the importance of immunisation, pre and antenatal care, sanitation, proper feeding habits, and hygiene. This comprehensive health education is a crucial part of the medical outreach programme, ensuring that the residents have the knowledge to maintain their health.

“The challenge we now face is a lack of a dignified place for women to give birth, and we have to travel more than seven kilometers to the Semikaro area. Many women give birth while in transit to Semikaro, so if we get a health facility here, we will really appreciate it,” she added.

Her sentiments were echoed by Makorani Malonji, the area headman, who said that the residents' hygiene, sanitation, and health had improved after the commencement of the medical outreach programs.

The nursing officer at the Semikaro dispensary, Simon Kaviha, said that Shirikisho village was chosen to host the bi-weekly medical outreach sessions due to its central place among the seven villages, adding that Semikaro was very far, especially when the bad road network is factored in.

“For now, we can say that these outreaches have really assisted us in terms of improving our indicators, especially on immunisation. Again, it has helped us to do some defaulter tracing. We chose Shrikisho because it is a difficult area to access, and since we started the program, cases of pregnancy complications and related deaths have gone down,” he said.

He added that the Semikaro dispensary is supposed to serve 9,131 residents of seven villages. Still, the distance between the villages and the dispensary was making it out of reach for many.