500 slum dwellers in Nakuru Town West get free medical treatment

Kaptembwa and Kwa Rhonda slums residents trooped into Koinange Primary School in Nakuru Town West on Saturday for free medical services.    

Some were aided by their relatives while others were dropped by motorcycles to the school.  Koinange Primary School classrooms were temporarily turned into examination rooms.  

Inside the classrooms were children as old as one-week-old babies, the old and young men and women who sat patiently, waiting to be attended to.

The free medical outreach was organized by the Lions Club of Nakuru in conjunction with Nairobi Women's Hospital, Kenya Red Cross Nakuru branch and the devolved unit.

The medical outreach process started with registration, to ascertain the age of the beneficiaries, to screening, to determine their ailments. Eye tests were also conducted, with eye drops given to those who were in dire need.

One of the beneficiaries, a 67-year-old woman burst into tears when she received the eye drop that drastically reduced the itching.

Itching eyes

Ms Salome Murugi said that three weeks ago, the itching in her eyes became unbearable. She could not afford eye drops.

Ms Murugi said: “I will forever remain grateful for this gesture because it came at a time I needed it. The itching and resultant pains in my eyes were unbearable. It aggravated three weeks ago and I resigned myself to fate as I had no money to buy the medicine. I was informed by a neighbour of this free eye test and I decided to walk to Koinange Primary School as I live in the neighbouring Kwa Rhonda slums. This is great. I was not asked a single shilling for the treatment."

Mr Joshua Lang'at, another beneficiary, said, "I came here because I heard there was free treatment. I came because of an eye ailment. But by the time I went through the medical screening, I had high high blood pressure. They gave me some drugs. I also underwent counselling."

Ms Monica Njeri said she benefitted from the cervical cancer screening.  

"I have received free medical treatment with my children and I thank Lions Club of Nakuru for thinking about the poor," said Ms Njeri

On his part, 67-year-old Joshua Kimotho who got his first Covid-19 jab appreciated the Lions Club of Nakuru for its effort at ensuring that the poor got access to free medical treatment.

Informal settlements

Nakuru County Executive Member in charge of Trade and Investments Raymond Komen lauded the Lions Club of Nakuru for giving free medical treatment to the residents in the informal settlements in Nakuru Town West.

"This is a great investment by Lions Club and other partners and as a county, we shall partner to reduce the health burden among the poor residents living in the slums," said Mr Komen.

There were over 15 medical personnel on the ground to attend to the teeming population.

The chairperson of Lions Club of Nakuru Mishal Sheth said aside from eye tests and related treatments, cases like malaria, pneumonia, diabetes, cancer and hypertension among others were also being attended to. He said patients with severe ailments were referred to Nakuru Level Five Hospital for treatment.

He said: "At the end of the outreach, we want to achieve many objectives like reaching out to people and treating them. Many people here have no health insurance cover and this is the only opportunity to sit with the doctor and have a comprehensive check. We want to talk to them about cancer and non-communicable diseases".

Health talks on breast cancer, cervical cancer and prostate cancer were also conducted.

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