Kenya: Lodwar District Hospital Support

Livelihood Program Seeing Success: Q1 2019

June 10, 2019

Emma Fredah Kiriungi and Rose Boisabi Masega

Kenya Initiative Reports

Joyful beneficiaries tending and gathering crops in the greenhouse

Livelihood Project

Greenhouse Operational

The livelihood program has registered good progress. Crops are growing well, and we will be preparing markets for beneficiaries to sell their produce. The aim of this program is to eradicate malnutrition among HIV clients at Lodwar County & Referral Hospital (formerly Lodwar District Hospital) and food-insecure, vulnerable families in the area.

The project is off to an excellent start, and our team has been encouraged by its progress, as well as the high motivation and dedication of beneficiaries in their work to provide for themselves and their families. By April 2019, we will be preparing markets to sell the vegetables so that in addition to growing food for their own consumption, beneficiaries can start generating income to support themselves.

Project beneficiaries bundling spinach harvested from the greenhouse

RMF Continues to Support Hospital

Medical Equipment

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

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. Drugs including Ranferon syrup, Calcimax syrup, Vanconmycin injection, fluconazole infusion, Ranferon suspension, and Frusemide injection were provided. Silver sulfasalazine (burn cream), Supirocin ointment, and KY jelly were also procured for the Pediatric and Maternity departments, respectively. Before these drugs were provided by RMF/MMI, patients were asked to purchase them from local clinics, and many patients could not afford to do so. 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

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. These non-pharmaceuticals are not only important in the day-to-day running of the hospital, but also in the case of emergencies with urgent needs, such as traffic accidents, and when the hospital is in a crisis because of many patients needing care at the same time, when large amounts of non-pharmaceuticals are required.

Patients Served this Quarter

Outpatients- 44,110
Inpatients- 4,116
Occupatoinal Therapy Patients- 512

Donate

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.

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.