The health workers comprising physicians, medical officers, nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists and laboratory technologists underwent a three months training course to offer dialysis services in county hospitals under the Managed Equipment Services project.

 

The first batch of renal health trainees drawn from Bomet, Embu, Garissa, Machakos and Nyamira counties graduated today in a ceremony attended by the Principal Secretary for Health, Dr. Nicholas Muraguri.

 

The PS observed that the trainees are a critical resource for the country and urged them to play their role in ensuring that Kenyans have access to dignified healthcare, which alleviates poverty and leads to social transformation of the country. It is estimated that about 1.5 million people become poor due to chronic illnesses.

 

“The whole idea of social transformation is to ensure that everyone is able to access specialised services because we are committed to social transformation – which can’t come without addressing health,” Dr. Muraguri said.

 

The PS revealed that every County will get a dialysis centre by October under the Managed Equipment Services project whose objective is to assist the country to meet the demand of specialised health care.

 

The PS observed that three years ago within the public sector, dialysis services were only available at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and Nakuru Provincial General Hospital.

 

“Kenyans had to find their way to any of these three facilities to get service, yet no one should be forced to make a journey in order to access dialysis services,” Dr. Muraguri noted.

 

During the occasion KNH Deputy Director for Clinical Services, Dr. Thomas Mutie, urged the trainees to use the knowledge that they had acquired to enhance service delivery and to fill gaps in healthcare delivery.

 

An estimated 10,000 Kenyans are in need of renal dialysis services; of the 1,000 cases presented to KNH, 250 get into dialysis and renal replacement therapy. The hospital has been offering renal dialysis services since 1984 and has conducted 152 kidney transplants since 2009.

 

The College of Health Sciences, Principal Prof. Isaac Kibwage revealed that the first participants of the training were all Kenyans but subsequent groups will include participants from other East African countries.

 

EAKI Director, Prof. Peter Mungai reminded the participants to join the training prepared as no breaks would be permitted.

 

EAKI Project Manager, David Waititu added that the project which is a partnership between the East African Community, the Ministry of Health, KNH and University of Nairobi will be reviewed next year.

 

The second batch of 38 trainees drawn from Kericho, Kiambu, Kisumu, Kitui and Makueni counties, will report on Wednesday 6 September 2016.

Source : www.health.go.ke