Kenya: Lodwar Clinic and Turkana Drought Relief and Mobile Medical Outreach Project

Summary of RMF/MMI-sponsored activities carried out during the reporting period under each project objective:
 
– During the third quarter 2015, 1,963 patients were treated in the medical outreach clinics and 1,634 patients in the Lodwar Clinic.
– A total of 24 outreach clinics were conducted in the rural villages in the third quarter.
– 8 home visits (hospice visits) were made in the rural villages and within and around Lodwar Town to patients not able to come to the Lodwar Clinic.
– We made 11 referrals mostly collecting patients who were very sick from rural villages and transporting them to our clinic in Lodwar and Lodwar District Hospital.
– Continued public health education done at the beginning of every clinic session.
– Purchased medicines.
– The program met the cost of medical fees for some patients whom we referred for treatment to other secondary and tertiary health facilities. 
– The staff maintained the medicine inventory.
– The mobile clinic vehicle was serviced.

Results and/or accomplishments achieved during this reporting period:
 
– This quarter, we treated a total of 3,597 patients both in the Lodwar Clinic and villages.
– During this quarter, 1,130 laboratory tests were conducted with 568 tests showing positive results.  Many patients tested positive for malaria.
– The program conducted 24 outreach clinics in the rural villages where health facilities are far from reach.
– We made 8 home visits mostly in villages on the outskirts of Lodwar Town.
– We provided transportation for 11 referrals mostly from rural villages to health facilities in Lodwar.
– 380 children and expectant mothers were immunized where 143 were male children, 191 were female children and 46 were expectant mothers.
– Public health teaching was done at the beginning of every clinic day for the patients who arrive early and individual teaching on specific cases in the course of treatment.
– Purchased medicines from pharmaceutical company in Nairobi, Kenya.
– The program paid salaries for the staff.
– The mobile clinic vehicle was serviced.
– The new room for maternal-child health services and medication storage had been completed in the previous quarter.

Number served/number of direct project beneficiaries:
 
A total of 3,597 patients were treated during this quarter; 1,501 patients were male and 2,096 were female. We treated 4,494 cases during this quarter.

If applicable, please list the medical services provided:
 
– Outpatient diagnosis and treatment
– Medication available with pharmacy counseling
– Public health education with each clinic session
– Minor surgery
– Wound care
– Referral to secondary and tertiary care centers for advanced care
– Nutrition supplementation to the elderly, malnourished children and terminally ill during mobile outreach clinics and home visitations
– Care of patients with advanced and/or special needs: arranging transport and accompaniment by staff if needed to referral centers for special consultations, procedures, etc.

Notable project challenges and obstacles:
 
During the third quarter, we re-evaluated the health program based on changes in funding.  At this time, our plan is to continue to employ the two most senior team members and to look for other employment for two other team members.  We will keep up the focus on medical care for the most needy in the rural villages and explore options to potentially have another NGO or the government primary operate the Lodwar Clinic.  The faithful funding of RMF and MMI has been much appreciated, and our ongoing partnership is very much valued. 

If applicable, plans for next reporting:
 
– 10 mobile clinics in the next quarter.
– Make emergency trips to villages and offer transport to Lodwar District Hospital if needed; especially for complicated obstetrics deliveries and other medical conditions.
– 12 hospice services (home visits) in the next quarter.
– Consider how to best meet the needs of the special cases, ongoing needs for patients such as physical therapy, etc.
– Pay salaries for the staff.
– Purchase medicine from pharmaceutical company in Nairobi, Kenya at least on monthly basis.
– Continue supporting education for staff members, including additional training for the nurse in charge.
– Continue looking for additional means of support like the County Government of Turkana supplying the program with medicines on a quarterly basis through the Ministry of Health.
– Make necessary changes consistent with the goals of Share International, RMF and MMI to provide medical care to the most needy.

Success story(s) highlighting project impact.
 
By Derrick Lowoto

1.  Prevention has become the best way to overcome most of the common diseases. Most of the diseases can be prevented from occurring in the community if the necessary education is passed to the community to better their knowledge about them. The knowledge emphasizes signs and symptoms of disease as well as interventions that the community can do, including urgent cell phone calls for referrals. In the previous session of public health education, a reduction in many common diseases and illnesses was observed afterward, and so the program is trying to intensify health education since the community is putting it into action. Thanks to RMF for the regular funding that has enabled this.

This month of August, the program intensified health education before medication by putting more time into this. All villages which had medical outreach this month received education on topics that included diarrheal diseases, nutrition, malaria, poliomyelitis, importance of immunization and hygiene. The communities in the rural villages for whom the program had mobile clinics were grateful for the good education and wished for more time to be allocated in future. Moreover, they requested a repeat of the topics taught in the future medical outreaches.

(L) Patients in a rural village receiving public health education on gastroenteritis from the community health workers. (R) Patients receiving public health education on the importance of immunization.

2.  Medical outreaches have continued to be a blessing to many people living in the rural villages that are far from any static health facility.  Monthly medical outreaches to these hard to reach villages have helped them a lot in terms of medicines, referrals, health education and spiritual growth. Testimonies from many villages show that there is positive impact that the program offers to the villages. Many villages are happy over this support due to the following.

(L) Child receives vaccine during medical outreach. (R) Medical clinic going on in the rural village.

3. This month I managed to call elders and pastors in various villages that we normally support for medical outreaches. The clear message was to inform them that there are constraints in the usual monthly support that enables medical outreaches in their villages. Further I informed them that the available funds will only be available to hard to reach villages until such time when funding is normalized, then the program could reach the usual scheduled villages. They understood the situation and only demanded support for referral in case of emergency which I told them will be available.      

(L) Baby receives BCG vaccine during medical outreach. (R) Medical outreach going on in a rural village.

4. New Clinic Buildings