Kenya: Lodwar District Hospital Support
Hospital Continues to Benefit Community: Q4 2018
March 01, 2019
Emma Fredah Kiriungi and Rose Boisabi Masega
Summary of Activities
- The hospital continues to record a high number of patient visits with a low number of mortality cases due to the availability of emergency drugs (which are usually very costly, but now are given to patients for free). This has been constant since RMF’s partnership with the hospital began in 2011.
- The Pediatric ward benefitted by receiving equipment such as blood giving sets, insulin syringes, and emergency drugs.
- Pediatric patients continued to receive medical treatment and supplies for free. Emergency drugs that are not supplied by KEMSA and that patients would otherwise have to purchase are provided free of charge.
- The hospital also remains clean, and nosocomial infections are being prevented as much as possible with the constant provision of cleaning supplies and disinfectants from RMF.
- Hospital stays for patients are minimal due to the availability of emergency drugs. Patients are attended to and discharged quickly.
- Traffic accidents and other emergencies are handled efficiently with RMF/MMI’s constant provision of non-pharmaceutical supplies for the entire hospital.
- All wards continue to benefit from the free supply of non-pharmaceuticals purchased by RMF.
- The sterilizer previously purchased for the Operating Theatre continues to be used by the entire hospital. Equipment can now be sterilized after procedures, thus preventing patient infection.
- Implementation of our livelihood program has begun, with the aim to eradicate malnutrition among HIV clients at Lodwar County & Referral Hospital (formerly Lodwar District Hospital) and food-insecure, vulnerable families in the area.
Full Report
Results &
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Medical Equipment
Vital Support
During this quarter, RMF continued its strong support of Lodwar County & Referral Hospital (LCRH) by supplying the hospital’s departments with needed medical supplies:
- The Pediatric department received blood giving sets, insulin syringes, catheters, and granular gauges.
- Other departments that received new equipment include the Maternity ward, Occupational Therapy ward, and Physiotherapy department.
Medical Supplies
Helping Children
Continuing its emphasis on pediatric support, RMF purchased comprehensive medical supplies for the Pediatric ward. Emergency drugs that are never supplied by KEMSA have continued to be supplied by RMF/MMI for the pediatric patients. The constant supply of these essential drugs and many others has gone a long way in benefitting the pediatric patients and ensuring that the Pediatric ward continues to register low mortality numbers.
Non-Pharmaceutical Supplies
Making a Difference
As always, to support the entire hospital, RMF continues to purchase non-pharmaceutical supplies. Nonpharmaceuticals purchased include blood giving sets, insulin syringes, gauze rolls, catheters, granular gauges, and latex gloves, among other essential non-pharmaceuticals.
Background
& Objectives
Background
Lodwar District Hospital (DH) is the only functional government regional referral hospital for all of Turkana region, spanning a population of almost 1,000,000. This is where the vast majority of the Turkana and other populations of Northwestern Kenya as well as people from across the borders to Uganda and South Sudan seek help when they need more advanced care requiring medical equipment and specialized skills that cannot be provided at dispensaries, health centers, or private health clinics. Lodwar DH has been struggling for years with wards in need of major repair, and supplies and drugs that come in with great irregularity from the government health supplies department in Nairobi.
Objectives
- Rehabilitate the infrastructure at Lodwar District Hospital, beginning with the pediatric ward and proceeding to male and female wards.
- Rehabilitate equipment set at Lodwar District Hospital, beginning with the pediatric ward and proceeding to male and female wards, outpatient department, operating theatre and physiotherapy department.
- Provide regularity to supplies of basic medical devices, disposables, and pharmaceuticals, complementing the items from Kenya Medical Supplies (KEMSA).
- Provide equipment maintenance and spare parts management.
- Organize on-site clinical training, beginning with general equipment use and care, and pediatric emergency care.
- Provide outreach campaigns.
More
Photos
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Numbers
Served
Patients Served This Quarter
DIRECT BENEFICIARIES
Outpatients-39,714
Inpatients-4,057
Occupatoinal Therapy Patients-626
Success
Stories
Livelihood Project
Building a Greenhouse
During the reporting period, construction of the greenhouse was completed, including a perimeter fence to protect the crops from animals. Soil testing and fertilization were done to ensure that the soil is suitable for agribusiness production, and a drip irrigation system and water reservoir were installed. The agriculture officers then procured seedlings, and planting was done after the Christmas holidays. Outreaches and meetings with the agriculture officers and project beneficiaries are going well, and we are excited to see the project gaining momentum as the only one of its kind in Turkana.
More Reports on: Lodwar District Hospital Support Archive
Country Page: Kenya
Initiative Page: Lodwar District Hospital Support
