The New Kimanjo Health Centre!

After a year of hard work, last month nurses and patients  moved into the out-patients department of the new Health Centre. Whilst work continues to finish the conversion of the old buildings into staff accommodation, landscaping, and finishing touches to the Community Health Workers Building and Youth Friendly Centre, we are proud to have finished work on a very high quality 24 bed hospital.  We are currently beginning the equipping of the In-Patient building. The facility comprises three wards, a  maternity unit,  a large operating theatre, X-ray room,  doctor’s accommodation, laboratory, out-patients wing  and reception building. This ‘cottage’ hospital would not look out of place in a small European town (well - perhaps rather more open ventilation!), and the building team have surpassed themselves in the quality of the finishes.  The roof has been designed for maximum water catchment with large holding tanks, whilst the pipeline from the newly sunk borehole should ensure the water supply during drought. 

Reception building with Out Patients to the left and services to the right

This has been a long and challenging process made possible through the belief and dedication of the donor and of an enthusiastic community. This is a government facility built on government land, made possible entirely through private funding. As such we spent almost a year working with the GOK health department, and the community, before we could begin construction.

In-Patient building

We are aware that this is only Phase One of the process: the year ahead will be  equally challenging as the government works with us to meet its  partnership commitments to post new staff  and we work on more private partnerships to train and support the new team so that we can grow into this  facility.

 

Cleaning Day in March!

A prime focus will be to drastically reduce maternal and infant mortality by having mothers access pre and post natal care, as well as increasing access to hospital deliveries.  The multiple factors of female circumcision, poor nutrition, diseases of poverty and teenage pregnancies mean that childbirth is the leading cause of death for pastoralist women – as many as 1 in 40 women will die in childbirth -  something that should not be seen by any of us as acceptable in the Twenty-First century.

 

The Pharmacy

Enormous thanks to all who have made this journey possible so far - (with the risk of sounding like an awards ceremony speech) our thanks go to: our wonderful donor, the Management and Liaison committees,  the DPHN and her team,  the DPWO, the Community Health Workers,  all the local Chiefs and community leaders, the Builders and their Sterling Crew of workers... and the Wider Community who have lent their voices of support. … and EVERYONE who has had added enthusiasm along the way.

We  now continue to work together to improve the health of the whole community. The NHP  team of CHWs  starts today their final training to make them a fully fledged  Community Health Unit. 

The future of  community healthcare begins today.

.....And a wonderful nurse!