City Residents Receive Care at Charity Medical Camp.

On 7th December 2024, residents of Nairobi West thronged the House of Grace Church for a charity medical camp that brought together several organizations offering vital healthcare services to the community. Organized by the church in collaboration with key health institutions, hundreds flocked to get medical attention, advice, and support.

KEMRI played a central role in the camp, showcasing its expertise and dedication to public health. The KEMRI laboratory team, led by Principal Lab Analyst Alfred Muia, became one of the busiest sections of the day. The team, which also included Senior Lab Analyst Ms. Finley Osuna, Lab Technologist Mr. Dan Ombija, and Lab Analysts Mr. Lewis Karani and Mr. Jeremiah Ndeto conducted over 50 rapid tests for blood sugar and malaria. Ag. Director General, Prof. Elijah Songok was represented by Deputy Director (Administration), Mr. John Musau who is also incidentally a member of the House of Grace Church.

These services became indispensable in addressing immediate health concerns, with two cases of critically high blood sugar coming up. The first case was referred to Mbagathi Hospital, and the second, more serious one, was evacuated to Kenyatta National Hospital using the ambulance stationed at the camp from KNH. These timely actions underlined the importance of KEMRI’s presence and preparedness, as well as seamless coordination between medical teams.

Mr. Muia, the laboratory led commended smooth and effective flow of operations between the laboratory team and the medical team that ensured hundreds of people smoothly and effectively received attention and the necessary care.

“This exercise was fruitful due to the cooperation between teams and the excellent flow of clients. Proper coordination by the House of Grace Medical team ensured all patients received the care they needed,” said Mr. Muia. The services offered at the camp included wellness talks, triaging to measure the community’s vital signs like blood pressure and temperature, consultation with the doctors for diagnosis and treatment, and laboratory tests for malaria and blood sugar. The laboratory section from KEMRI was among the most visited since the rapid tests allowed clinicians to provide immediate care.

Other services provided included eye examinations through Optica; cancer screening by Texas Cancer Center; ENT by House of Hearing; dental services by Evolution Dental, and Baraka Smiles Foundation; voluntary HIV counseling, a fully stocked pharmacy for the treated conditions; and, in emergency situations, a treatment by nursing staff supplemented the service provision with on call ambulances availed by KNH.

The success of the camp was greatly attributed to the involvement and collaboration of the involved organizations among them KEMRI, Equity Afya, Kenyatta National Hospital, UON Medical School, Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), Texas Cancer Center, House of Hearing, Optica, Good Life, Stoma for Wounds, The Future of Our Kids, and Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital (KUTTRH), among others.

Bishop David Muriithi of the House of Grace Church said they are grateful to KEMRI for such great support. Despite their many work schedules, he observed that KEMRI expressed their interest in commitment to the camp and social welfare. “The expertise of the team led was tremendous. We thank them and look forward to working together in any coming initiatives,” said the Bishop.

He also thanked Prof. Songok, noting the continued partnership with a call for more to meet the increasing health challenges among members of the community.

At the end of the day, Mr. Muia gave recommendations for future medical camps: that more rapid test kits should be procured to test for malaria, Hepatitis B and C surface antigens, H. Pylori, Veneral Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL), Prostrate Surface Antigen (PSA), blood glucose, and HIV. He also said it would be important if future outreach programs were better equipped with portable equipment to handle dry chemistries and hemoglobin testing for timely and efficient diagnosis by KEMRI.

The collaboration demonstrated the power of teamwork and the impact it can have on improving lives and addressing community health needs. As the participants left the venue, it was evident that the camp had left a lasting impression, offering hope and care to those who attended.