Counties partner with Nutrition International



The Center for International Health Education and Biosecurity (CIHEB) has allocated Sh. 108M to Makueni county health services docket for HIV prevention and treatment services, the organization’s CEO Dr. Emily Koech has announced.
The institution is implementing a 5-year workplan for disease control and prevention funded program dubbed ‘The partnership for advanced care and treatment’ in the Lower Eastern region.
Dr. Koech led his CIHEB team on Monday to pay a courtesy call to governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr and his deputy Lucy Mulili with their discussions centered on comprehensive HIV and TB treatment.
Since last year, the organization funded Makueni through the county health management team to a tune of Sh. 112M to provide services and activities highlighted below.
● Provision of HIV prevention interventions for general and key populations including HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis(PrEP) services and gender-basedHIV-exposed violence
●Provision of High-quality targeted HIV testing services (HTS) leading to the identification and linkage of HIV-infected individuals.
● Provision of HIV prevention and treatment services for pregnant and breast-feeding women and HIV-exposedlast infants.
● Provision of quality patient-centered HIV care and treatment services for PLHIV, including management of commodities.
● Strengthening of health systems to support the delivery of HIV and TB related services including laboratory systems, commodity management and monitoring and evaluation systems.gender-based
Bill Gates the co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation visited Makueni County on a discovery trip to see the impact of Primary Health Care in the County.
Accompanied by Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior, Bill Gates visited the Kathonzweni Level 3 hospital where he met with medical staff and Community Health Volunteers and later toured the mother and Child Care unit at the Makueni County Referral Hospital.
Makueni County has enlisted a significant number of Community Health Volunteers who have contributed to better prenatal care and safer deliveries in the region.
The County health team presented some of the key steps taken to improve service delivery, monitor the purchase and distribution of health commodities as well as steps the County took to ensure the facilities remained open for immunizations even during the Covid -19 pandemic.
Governor Mutula lauded the County health workers for using data to manage health care and health commodities.
Further, the County has shortened access to medical facilities for the residents and introduced a system where health centers can re-invest the cash paid for services in running costs and improvements required.
Makueni County on Thursday opened doors to its first cancer treatment and management clinic at the Makueni Referral Hospital, Wote.
The clinic is courtesy of the EMPOWER PROJECT, a partnership bringing together Roche, International Cancer Institute (ICI), Women for Cancer and African Cancer Foundation.
The County First Ladies Association (CFLA) was key in realizing the clinic by mobilizing all the partners and resources including the county government and Family Bank which donated five Chemotherapy chairs for the cancer unit.
Speaking at the event, governor Kivutha Kibwana said his administration will commit adequate budgetary provisions for essential supplies and human resources to ensure that the rising burden of cancer in Makueni is reversed.
He said that before establishment of the unit, patients used to travel to Kenyatta National Hospital and private facilities for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. This, he said, was expensive and time consuming. It was associated with delays, with patients sometimes missing treatment due to long queues as well as lack of follow up and poor outcomes
So far, the county government has seconded an Oncologist Pharmacist, 2 clinical officers, one nurse and one records officer for the coordination of the unit. Further, it is in the process of recruiting 2 oncology clinical officers, 2 oncology nurses, a radiologist and a pathologist to support the increasing traffic at the centre.
Makueni becomes the fifth county to unveil the EMPOWER CANCER CLINIC after Kisumu, Bungoma, Meru and Taita Taveta.
CFLA chairperson Maria Mbeneka (Laikipia) said the aim of pushing for establishment of the cancer clinics in counties is to enhance early cancer detection, treatment and management while reducing the prohibitive costs of treatment.
The event at the Mother and Child Hospital in Wote was graced by 15 county first ladies among them host Nazi Kivutha, Edna Lenku-Kajiado, Sarah Tunai-Narok, Saline Barchok-Bomet, Wato Kuti-Isiolo, Elizabeth Kinyanjui-Nakuru and Sheila Sang-Nandi.
Others were Priscilla Murungi- Meru, Priscilla Oparanya-Kakamega, Christine Mvurya-Kwale, Dorothy Nyong’o- Kisumu, Stellah Samboja- Taita Taveta and Ivy Bunei of Baringo County.
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