Category: Health and Sanitation

Safaricom Foundation has donated a Full Haemogram Machine to Chemase Health Center through its Ndoto Zetu initiative to help improve medical services.

While receiving the machine from Safaricom Foundation, Tindiret Sub County MoH Dr. Joseph Kibor admitted that the Haemogram Machine is a big boost in the health sector.

“Our target is to take medical services near to the people as well as preparing for the universal health cover as one of the county government measures in addressing medical issues amongst our people,” he said.

He further noted that the availability of machine will address medical challenges that faced the laboratory department in the region adding that initially, patients in the hospital had to seek those medical services elsewhere.

Amos Barno the hospital in-charge noted that the equipment has come at the right time adding that they will not only serve Nandi’s population but also a large population from the neighboring Kisumu County.

The ceremony was witnessed by Suzanne Gwehema Customer Experience Executive, who represented Safaricom Foundation at the event.

Nandi County’s Immunization coverage has dramatically improved and has made enormous contribution to the County’s health and mortality rates among children due to vaccine-preventable diseases have been significantly reduced over the past three years.

Latest statistics show that 98.8% of two-year-old children were fully immunised in the three month reporting period ending December 2020. This was revealed by KANCO during GAVI HSS stakeholders meeting held in Kapsabet that brought together journalists, religious leaders, civil society and sub county EPI Coordinators.

Achievements of the County’s health sector and Immunization in particular are justified by commitment of high leadership, good partnership with development partners and grown home solutions to solve our population problems.

This has also been made possible with the support from Kenya Aids NGOs Consortium (KANCO) with the participation of communities, a better understanding of vaccine acceptance and hesitancy, the expansion of vaccination across the life course, approaches to improve immunization in rural areas, enhanced use of data and possible financial and non-financial incentives.

“Vaccines have an important role to play in comprehensive disease control, including the fight against antimicrobial resistance,” said Rachel Rop, the County EPI Coordinator.

Nandi County’s success is attributed to the inclusion of communities and civil society and faith based organizations and journalists who are crucial in making sure the vaccines and their delivery are acceptable, appropriate, and sustainable. Community-based organizations have stepped up their involvement in immunization and developed locally adapted solutions to removing social and cultural barriers, to re-create trust in immunization services, where it had waned, and to increase the locally adapted use of vaccines.

Present at the event were KANCO Regional Coordinator Steve Ikonya among other officials.

Taining to keep staff updated on the skills needed to meet the growing demands, address changing industry trends, and use new technologies is a mission-critical component of the county department of health.

Training is required to prepare staff to respond to changes within an organization to meet new regulatory requirements and stay competitive in a technologically advancing environment.

The health sector in Nandi County has received a major boost after the Government acquired 6 Biochemistry analysers and 7 full haemogram machines. The machines have already been distributed to all level 4 facilities in the six subcounties and the personnel trained on usage of the modern machines.

Under the leadership of Governor Sang Health sector has seen tremendous improvement both in infrastructure, Equipping and and human capital.

In fulfilling his promise to make health services affordable and available across the county, Governor Sang in his latest milestone achievement has seen all level 4 facilities within the county equipped with modern machines to aid in accurate and evidence based diagnosis thus improving the management and treatment of patients.

The recently acquired machines will offer a wide range of services and increase the scope of diagnosis in our level 4 facilities. The recent decision to equip these facilities is not only to offer services close to the people but also to decongest Kapsabet County Referral Facility that has seen influx of the patients rise up exponentially due to its improved service delivery to the people.

The Biochemistry analysers will aid in diagnosis and management of various diseases affecting lungs,kidneys, heart among many other organs. It will also help in the management of patients in dialysis and ICU and those schedule for surgeries as it monitors biochemical analysis of various fluids in Human body.

Full blood count machines will aid in diagnosis, monitoring and management of various diseases and conditions associated with blood e.g various types of aneamia and other general infections affecting blood. It is one of the routine tests in our hospitals that determines a wide range of infections and conditions.

The health sector in Nandi County has faced major infrastructural development over the past two years.

Under the leadership of Governor Stephen Sang, the health sector has received massive funding to support transformation of various hospitals within the county not only at the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital but also in all the sub county hospitals that have benefited from the government’s robust equipment distribution plan.

Governor Sang is keen on availing residents easy access to specialized treatment at lower costs.

All Level-4 hospitals in the six sub-counties are getting a face lift in a hospital expansion programme aimed at increasing the scope of services including specialist attention to patient’s right at the grassroots. Ultimately, this will drastically ease pressure at the county’s referral facility since non-critical cases can be handled at the sub-county hospitals which are spread across the six sub-counties.

So far, the county government has put up two modern theatre units at Nandi Hills County hospital. The hospital is now offering surgery services, cases which would otherwise be referred to KCRH.

The County Government has also acquired seven Haemogram machines to boost the diagnostic sector.

The machines have been delivered to Nandi Hills County Hospital, Mosoriot, Meteitei, Kaptumo, Chepterwai, Kabiyet Sub County Hospitals and KCRH.

Hematology analyzer is used to perform Complete Blood Count (CBC) or full blood count (FBC). It is a group of tests performed on a sample of blood mainly the three components of the blood; Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells and Platelets.

By it being a broad screening panel it checks for the presence of a wide range diseases and infections in the body.

This year, 32 years after the first World AIDS Day, the observance is marked amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. Nandi County healthcare workers and partners that care for people living with HIV have worked tirelessly to continue to provide vital services.

World AIDS Day this year finds us still deep amid another pandemic – COVID-19.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s World AIDS Day holds extra significance.

The County department of health is marking this day differently by giving the “Maisha packs” to the most vulnerable PLHIV identified at Comprehenaive Care Center.

“As a department, we are committed to continue to work in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. We are not forgetting the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ruth Koech, CEC for Health.

By Cornelius Kipkoech Chebwaai.

Plans to establish the first ever milk processing factory in Nandi has kicked off after the County Government of Nandi begun to hold a series of consultative meetings with dairy stakeholders in the county to lay down all the necessary strategies.

In a consultative meeting held in Kapsabet with all the Dairy Cooperative Societies in Nandi on Tuesday, Nandi Governor Stephen Sang said the County government has allocated 115 Million shillings in the 2018/2019 financial year towards the establishment of the milk processing plant and the process of building the factory and acquisition of machines will begin before the end of this year.

However, Governor sang lamented that low volumes of milk being produced currently could adversely affect the 200,000 Capacity factory once it is operational.

Sang said the current capacity of milk produced stands at 51,000 Litres only and there were need for the farmers to improve the productivity to meet the capacity of the processing plant.

The county boss said the his administration will  continue to work tirelessly  to ensure that the daily milk production targets are met as the construction of the milk factory gets underway citing the already running Artificial Insemination program as one of the ambitious interventions by his government to ensure that high quality livestock breeds are sired for the dairy farmers.

On the other hand, Dairy farmers lauded governor Sang’s efforts to transform the County’s Agriculture sector pledging to put together their efforts to ensure the success of the Value Addition Strategies laid down by his government.

It is estimated that nearly 17,000 households in Nandi practice small scale dairy farming with an Avarage milk production standing at a paltry 3Litres per household.