Kenya: Lodwar Clinic and Turkana Drought Relief and Mobile Medical Outreach Project
Lodwar Clinic, Turkana, Q4 2014 Report
May 20, 2015
Derrick Lowoto
Summary of Activities
During Q4 2014, 2,992 patients were treated in the medical outreach clinics and 2,206 patients at the Lodwar Clinic. Outreach clinics, home visits, referrals, public health teachings were conducted. Additional medicine, maintenance on the mobile clinic, and staff salaries were paid. The program also met the costs of medical fees for some patients whom we referred for treatment to other health facilities.
Full Report
Results &
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Patients Treated
Clinic and Outreach
This quarter, we treated a total of 5,198 patients both in the Lodwar Clinic and villages.
Outreach Clinics
Going Rural
The program conducted 31 outreach clinics in the rural villages where health facilities are far from reach.
Home Visits
Individualized Care
We made 13 home visits mostly in villages on the outskirts of Lodwar Town.
Background
& Objectives
Background
After responding to a September 7th, 2009 NY Times article by Jeffrey Gettleman, which highlighted the life threatening impact of the drought in Northern Kenya, Real Medicine Foundation coordinated a supply chain for water and food aid, and medical support to the region. We were able to provide a 4-week supply of food and water to 4,500 persons in severely drought affected regions of Turkana, Kenya where it had not rained in 4 years.
Objectives
- Provide Medicines and Medical supplies to meet the needs of the targeted population
- Increase Mobile/Outreach Clinics in the remote villages
- Provide Medical Services at the Health Facility in Lodwar Town:
- Supporting the physical/medical needs of the targeted population
- Home visiting
- Referrals of patients needing advanced care to tertiary care hospital, and HIV and TB government clinics
- Teaching about and providing nutritious food
Success
Stories
Importance of Childhood Vaccinations
Vaccination against childhood diseases is a vital activity during our medical outreaches. Many of the diseases that occur in Turkanaland are preventable, and it has been the effort of every stakeholder engaging in medical care to make sure that children within the program catchment are immunized in order to save their lives. There are reports now of cases of measles and polio in Turkanaland.
Our program has increased efforts to make sure children within our catchment have immunization against various childhood diseases. We also target expectant mothers for tetanus vaccine. This November we have been engaging in educating rural villages on the importance of bringing children for immunization. We also emphasize diseases that occur due to lack of immunization. The message was received positively and elders in various villages were given the task of making sure mothers bring their children for immunization during medical outreach days.
Joshua Maraka
During our medical outreach in Nabuin Village, we managed to save the life of an old man who had a severe diarrheal disease. Mr. Joshua Maraka, aged 78, developed diarrhea a day prior to our clinic day in the village. On our arrival to the village, we found him waiting at the usual venue of the clinic. Immediately on our arrival we started him on the necessary treatment and by the end of outreach session, he was in a fair state. We gave him more medicine, promising to visit him the following day. We asked his relatives to call if his situation worsens again.
The following day, we called his relatives to see how he was doing, and they said the patient was doing very well and he had even started talking and eating.
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