News Categories: Health and Sanitation

Nandi County First Lady, Sheila Sang, has launched the Nandi County cancer awareness and screening programme.

Over 400 residents turned up for free cancer screening during the launch of First Lady cancer awareness campaign at Chemundu Dispensary, Chesumei Sub County.

The screening was done for breast, prostate and cervical cancer, which are considered to be the prevalent cases in the county.

Her campaign aims at sensitizing the public on the need to conduct frequent cancer screening.

The County First Lady called on Nandi residents to come out in large numbers and get screened for the disease.

“We will give cancer the attention it deserves,” Sheila said.

“Breast and cervical cancer does not just happen to ‘other’ women, ‘older’ women and is not one’s ‘fate’. Knowledge and access to screening can protect women and their families from suffering and loss,” said Mrs Sang.

Appropriate infant and young child nutrition is critical for proper growth and development. In order to promote optimal nutrition at an early age, the county government of Nandi in partnership with Nutrition International is holding a six day training that kicked off on Monday for link facility in-charges and CHEWs to capacity build them and hence cascade the same to Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) and in return the CHVs train the community. Baby Friendly Community Initiative supports breastfeeding and optimal infant feeding in community.

Traditional beliefs and practices influences the way a mother feeds her infant in Nandi. Exclusive breastfeeding for any duration is one component of optimal breast-feeding that mothers in Nandi find difficult to practice. Thus, community participation is one of the strategies intended to promote exclusive infant breastfeeding.

The Maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) strategy addresses issues of nutrition among mothers and children right to the community and one of the strategies is the Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI) which compliments Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative in maternity wards. Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative has proven to be effective in promoting optimal breastfeeding practices but due to the traditional beliefs, BFHI is being transferred to the community where most women deliver. Since even those who give birth in hospitals must return to their communities and homes to care for their babies. The implementation of Baby Friendly Community Initiative is yielding fruits in Nandi County.

Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI) is a strategy that employs the principles of BFHI at the community level.

The Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI) was developed to expand BFHI’s 10^th step, focusing on support for breastfeeding mothers after they leave hospital, which also provides an entry point to address the nutritional and developmental needs of both mother and child. BFCI also addresses environmental sanitation, personal hygiene and equity.

Late detection and referrals have been cited as some of the causes leading to early deaths among cancer patients in Nandi County.

Speaking during a medical cancer screening camp organized by the county department of health and sanitation in partnership with Apollo Hospitals, India, Dr. Kenei an Oncologist at the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital, cited stomach, esophageal, and breast, cervical and prostate cancers as leading in the region.

“Cancer is treatable when identified at its initial stages. Most patients succumb because they show up when the disease reached unmanageable levels,” he stated.

He advised members of the public to ensure they take early initiatives to know their cancer status to make it cheaper to manage the disease.

“Cancer is a disease that affects all parts of the body apart from the hair and teeth,” said Dr. Kenei.

Dr. Stanley Kiptanui who accompanied Dr. Kenei appealed to all well-wishers to join hands in supporting cancer treatment and awareness initiatives. He noted that there was need for equipping all health facilities in the county with cancer screening apparatus to benefit everyone.

Dr. Kenei added that the county was studying on the main causes of cancer within the county so as to employ safety measures to control its prevalence.

A cancer survivor, Ms. Jane Koech described how she had lived with the condition for over five years, urging those with the disease not to shy away from seeking treatment.

“Things are better now that the government supports those suffering from the disease which is very expensive to manage,” stated Jane urging residents to ensure they take a health cover with NHIF to help them meet health care without much strain.

Ms. Jane cautioned community members against discriminating upon people suffering from cancer noting that they require both material and moral support.

Several residents in Kapsabet town were treated to a free medical camp organized by the County department of health and sanitation in conjunction with Apollo Hospitals from India.

The one day event was officially launched by the Nandi Deputy Governor H.E Dr. Yulita Cheruiyot.

The hundreds of people who turned up benefited in the free medical check-up and cancer screening by specialists drawn from Apollo Hospitals, India, doctors and nurses from the county referral hospital.

The deputy county boss hailed the free medical camp, saying it goes a long way in promoting the Government’s effort to provide affordable health care under the Big Four.

“This is not the last time we are organizing such event. We will find you at your places and deep into the wards and I want to announce that on 9^th and 10^th November, we will be at Chemundu dispensary for a free medical camp,” said the deputy governor.

Universal Health Coverage (UHC), according to the World Health Organization is aimed at ensuring that people from all walks of life get to receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship. The county government of Nandi seeks to focus on preventable and primary health care whilst reducing high out-of-pocket expenditure for Nandi residents while seeking medical services. Areas of great concern include reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health care.

The Breast Cancer Awareness Month is marked in countries across the world every October, it helps to increase attention and support for the awareness, early detection and treatment as well as palliative care of this disease.

The county government of Nandi through the department of health and sanitation launched its annual County Breast Cancer Awareness campaign to mark the global Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2018 during the Isaiah Kiplagat Ndalat Gaa Marathon with a 500 meters race led by the Nandi Governor Stephen Sang and World Marathon Champion Eliud Kipchoge in honor of the day.

The County Government of Nandi has on The 24th of September 2018, launched its Big Four Agenda, aligning it with President Uhuru’s National Big Four Agenda. That is; Universal Health Care, Affordable Housing, Food Security and Manufacturing. The launch was officiated by H.E The Deputy President William Ruto. To achieve Universal Healthcare, The County has embarked on comprehensive programmes to rehabilitate and equip all its dispensaries and health centers across the county including upgrading Kapsabet Referral Hospital. The day saw a number of ongoing projects being commissioned by The Deputy President at The Referral Hospital including The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), The X-Ray machine, RenalDialysis Unit which provides services 4 days a week. The upgrade of the hospital also comprises of commissioning of an oxygen plant, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and expansion of the newborn nursery unit. The purchase of a 385 KVA standby generator to ensure uninterruptable supply of power to the facility has also been purchased which will go along way in ensuring that the residents can access specialized medical treatment. The day also saw the launch of the Health Management Information System, which is a set of components and procedures organized with the objective of generating information which will improve health care management decisions at all levels of the health system. The roll out of the HMIS will aid in easy access to patient data. A well-implemented HMIS means readily available patient data to the care providers. Four out of every five Kenyans have no access to medical insurance. In, the initial phase, The county has also managed to roll out a massive NHIF enrollment programme targeting 100,000 households. This is in line with the Agenda for Universal Health Care. The Governor Stephen Sang, also mentioned that the agenda has captured the aspirations of the people and that’s why he took the major direction of integrating it in The County Development Plan.“This event affords us a rare opportunity to set the pace for other devolved units to synergize with the National Government’’ added the county boss. Speaking during the event, the Deputy President mentioned thatequipping of hospitals with modern machines, medicine suppliesand improving infrastructure will go a long way in providing access to quality services. He also added that it ensures early, proper diagnosis and effective treatment hence resulting in a healthy population. He also assured the residents of the support by the National Government in achieving and making affordable healthcare and equitable access a reality. #TugaTai #TransformingNandi