Quality healthcare is now closer to over 193,000 residents of Narok West Sub-County following a multi-partner intervention to support Talek Community Health Centre with a telemedicine unit as well as a newly constructed and equipped maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) unit.
The construction of the MNCH unit was supported by M-Pesa Foundation, the County Government of Narok, Community Health Partners, and The Maa Trust. The unit will benefit over 50,000 women of childbearing age in the area, as well as provide a maternity shelter for high-risk expectant mothers.
“As the MAA Trust, we believe that every mother deserves a safe space to deliver. Through our integrated community health program, we impacted 43,000 people in Narok Count yin 2023, and with this MNCH facility, we aim to benefit even more mothers in Narok West,” said Dr. Crystal Mogensen, CEO, Maa Trust.
Additionally, as part of the Daktari Smart programme, a telemedicine facility that will enhance access to specialist diagnosis and treatment was also unveiled at Talek Community Health Centre. The programme is a partnership between M-Pesa Foundation and Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital Foundation that uses technology to provide treatment to children in rural underserved areas. It is currently running in Samburu, Baringo, Lamu, Narok and Homa Bay counties.
“Guided by our purpose of transforming lives, M-Pesa Foundation continues to partner with likeminded organisations to enhance healthcare outcomes across the country. Today, we are investing over KES 30 million in a telemedicine unit and a maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) facility, which are set to benefit more than 190,000residents here in Narok West and beyond,” said Patricia Ithau, M-PESA Foundation Trustee.
Daktari Smart is a kit that compromises electronic medical devices such as the Electronic Stethoscope, Vital Signs Monitor, Derma scope Camera, Ultrasound Machine, Otoscope (examine the condition of the ear canal and eardrum) and the electrocardiogram (ECG) used to check the heart’s rhythm and electrical activity.
“Our mission as Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital Foundation is to transform communities by improving access to quality healthcare services to needy and disadvantaged children in the country. Through Daktari Smart, we are providing the much-needed specialist care to children in far flung areas, as well as develop appropriate data and information to support pediatric healthcare in the country,” said Alexander Davis, Chairman, Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Daktari Smart enables health workers at the local partner health facilities to use these digitized medical devices on patients such that specialists based at Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital can see the patient, hear sounds in real-time and provide a high-quality diagnosis.