Residents in Tana River Struggle to Access Medical Services

By Charo Charles

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

Devolution was set to take services closer to the people, but in remotes villages of Tana Delta Subcounty in Tana River residents still struggle to access healthcare,

At Kitere Minhaj, Baomo and Amani villages, 52 kilometers from Garsen town, more than 3,500 residents are still grappling with basic healthcare services despite a dispensary located in the area.

According to the nurse in charge of Kitere Minhaj dispensary Awadh Ali the facility is in dire need of a facelift, grappling with under staffing, inhabitable structures and lack of medicine.

“We offer all services including outpatient and maternity, but we have infrastructure shortage, staff shortage and medicine shortage. The last time we received medicine from KEMSA was in January 2024,” he said.

He added that due to the increasing number of expectant mothers, they had to improvise a store and turn it into a maternity room.

“We deliver babies here and I receive not less than ten expectant women every week. In the months of February, March, August and September, the number rose to 15 and more, yet we only have one delivery bed and I am the only nurse to do the job,” he added.

Ambulance services are also a problem and with the poor state of roads in the area, many patients suffer when it comes to referrals.

“The most prevalence diseases are Respiratory Tract Infection (RTI), diarrheal diseases, skin diseases, peptic ulcer diseases, hypertension, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Malaria, pneumonia, eye and ear infection and fever of unknown origin, but drug shortage is a problem,” he said.

Hatima Amina, a Community Health Promoter (CHP) from Baomo village, and works at the dispensary, said that many cases require referrals, but the means of transport from one village to another and from the dispensary to the nearest hospital was a problem and the situation gets worse during the rainy season and flooding period.

“We need better roads and boats so that we can get to interior parts of the villages to help our patients. In some villages without boats, we can’t offer services. All we ask for is an ambulance, better roads and at least one boat that will ease movement,” she said.

Her sentiments were echoed by Bakari Lakole from Kitere Minhaj village who challenged the government to provide medicine and also improve infrastructure and install electricity in the facility.

“Our only nurse here is forced to use a torch when helping expectant women deliver during night time and he is also overworked since he has to work during the day and night hence, we have offered him a house in the village. We want the government to build a servant quarter here and also add some more staff,” he said.

He added that the facility has three staff that include the nurse in charge, a clinical officer who was recently transferred and lab technician.

“We only have two staff here that include a nurse and a lab technician. The clinical officer who was here was transferred two months ago and no replacement has been made.”