By Tony Wafula
Hypertension and diabetes cases are high in Bungoma County according to the new medical report contacted by doctors in a one-week medical camp held in Webuye.
Speaking to the press on Saturday at Compel High school in Webuye where the free medical camp was held, Jamaal Omar, the lead doctor, decried high hypertension, diabetes, sickle cell and malaria cases recorded during the one-week camp.
He pointed out that the camp happens annually with the sole aim of bringing health care services close to the locals.
He said that the free medical camp was set up by Webuye New Hope Compel Church in partnership with American Christian doctors from Compel International Outreach Centre.
“We sought partnership with these American medics so that our people from Webuye and its environs get quality health care services,” he said.
The medical exercise that was contacted over the weekend saw over 5,000 thousand people attended to by doctors from the neighboring health facilities and the American medics.
To ensure that Bungoma attains its improved primary health care (PHC) target, Omar said that Compel is working with the county health and sanitation department where they share the data obtained from the medical camp.
“After this camp we share the data collected with the county health department team so that they can also know what is ailing our people most,” he said adding that they have also developed a strong referral system for those who started medication at the medical camp to continue being attended to by doctors from Bungoma health facilities.
Jamaal Omar
He argues that the Compel health program also aims at helping the government in achieving its Universal Health Coverage (UHC) plan.
He added that cervical cancer and breast cancer was also done at the camp.
Omar attributed lack of awareness among the community for the increased number of diabetes and hypertension cases in the region adding that the cases are mostly found among old people.
He added,” Many people have neglected old people in the community and it is the reason why we have these cases go up day by day,”
Omar said that many people are not accessing the health care because they have not registered on the NHIF calling on locals to ensure that they are enrolled on the health cover.
To address the high number of sickle cell cases in the Western and Nyanza regions, Omar asked those planning to marry to visit health facilities to get tested or marry from outside the two regions.
“To help address sickle cell cases let us adhere to the doctor’s advice and marry outside from this region, nursing sickle cell isn’t easy, sickle cell patients are also finding it hard to get access to medication,” he said.
Omar, however, called on the locals to ensure that they get malaria vaccination to curb the high cases.
Speaking at a funeral service in Bungoma over the weekend, health and sanitation CS Susan Nakhumicha, said that in two months’ time the government will lower the NHIF subscription fee from Ksh.500 to Ksh. 300 so as to allow many people to get subscribed.
She added that in the financial year 2023/24, the government has allocated 4.1 billion shillings into the Linda mama program to ensure that expectant mothers visit health facilities to deliver quality services.
