In conjunction with other stakeholders, I conducted a four-day medical camp in Kieni Constituency, Nyeri County and the findings from the exercise were deeply concerning.
Most of the cases recorded at Gakawa Health Centre, Burguret Dispensary, Island Farm Dispensary and Warazo Health Centre all and flagged as emergencies could have been avoided if both levels of government, the national and county governments, had invested more heavily in preventive healthcare rather than concentrating on curative care.
Among the cases was that of a 37-week pregnant mother who visited Gakawa Health Centre after learning that ultrasound services were being offered at the facility. What was to be a routine check-up quickly turned into a life-saving intervention after doctors discovered that the baby’s umbilical cord was wrapped twice around the foetus’ neck.
Her case was immediately flagged as an emergency and she was referred for an urgent Caesarean Section to save both her life and that of her baby. The 28-year-old had not planned to undergo an ultrasound and only came to the facility after hearing that the service was available. Doctors warned that it would have been disastrous had she waited until delivery as both her life and that of the baby were at great risk.
Other common illnesses recorded during the camp, that attracted over 4,000 patients included hypertension, diabetes and amoebiasis, conditions that can largely be prevented through stronger preventive healthcare measures.
Cases of undescended testicles were also reported during the medical camp. This condition occurs when one or both testicles fail to descend into the scrotum before birth. While it is common and may resolve naturally within the first three to six months of life, treatment is recommended if the condition persists beyond six months to prevent complications such as infertility or an increased risk of testicular cancer.
Amoebiasis, an intestinal infection caused by the parasite Entamoeba histolytica, is transmitted through food or water contaminated with human waste. It is worth noting that Kieni, an arid and semi-arid area, lacks adequate access to treated water. It is therefore the responsibility of the government to intensify public health awareness on hygiene, water safety and food handling practices such as regular handwashing with soap and boiling drinking water before consumption.
Preventive healthcare involves proactive measures such as regular check-ups, screenings, immunisation and lifestyle management aimed at preventing illnesses, detecting diseases early and maintaining overall well-being before symptoms develop. While preventive healthcare reduces the likelihood of illness and premature deaths, curative care focuses on treating existing diseases and injuries to restore health. This reactive approach is often extremely expensive.
The government must also invest heavily in medical screening equipment such as MRI scanners, CT scanners for detecting tumours and cardiovascular diseases, portable digital X-ray machines for community-level TB screening, ultrasound machines for pregnancy monitoring and internal imaging, and mammography machines for breast cancer screening. Shortage of specialists to operate medical screening equipment also remains a major challenge and should be addressed urgently.
Mr Kagiri is a policy and governance expert, a community leader and chairperson of all water projects in Kieni, Nyeri County
