Steered by locally community resource mobilization, RICO intends to build a sustainable foundation of healthcare model driven by the wheels of locally available resources. We seek to partner with an
intention of mobilizing adequate resources to ensure delivery of the basic tenets of primary healthcare with the view to create a pool of resources meant to attain sustainable universal health coverage for all. The passion for the less fortunate in the society catapults our desire to continuously scan and determine the needs of resource-limited settings and therefore provide quality healthcare, while engaging the local leadership to inform and influence policy change to ensure continued delivery of care. Through your generous and relentless contribution, the organization is able to significantly impact the society saving many people from the pangs of out-of-pocket expenses, while assuring quality of life designed by excellent healthcare.
Over the past 6 years, RICO has made it its mandate to extend its reach to all counties in Kenya and remote communities within
them. RICO has so far engaged stakeholders in 8 different counties. Much focus has been on arid and semi-arid lands including Baringo, Turkana, Tana River, Kajiado and Turkana Counties. In the counties visited, a bank of epidemiological data has been collected, maintained and utilized in informing on steps to take in public health. RICO hopes to launch discussions on how to further improve the quality of health care in the county at large. Therefore, this report
provides a summary of the field hospital set up in various counties, achievements and recommended ways forward to ensuring continuity of RICO’s efforts in months and years to come.
On 13th August, RICO made its annual visit to Rotu, East Pokot and set up a field hospital at the Rotu Cattle Dip with a large catchment of not only Rotu, but also communities situated more than 15 km from the location. The field hospital is meant to provide medical relief as well as collect epidemiological data that would guide public health decisions. 352 patients were attended to during a one-day camp and most of
them referred to seek medical attention from the Rotu Community Health Unit. Under 10 years of age made up majority of the population seeking medical attention with 38.4%. Previous data has always pointed out to a low health seeking behavior from the males with more than 60% of the patients being females. In 2021, there was a 48.3% turnout from males while 51% females. Services offered include general consultation, eye clinic, laboratory and pharmacy. A total of 168 respiratory tract cases were seen on the day of the camp.
Baringo county has suffered malaria out breaks in the past few years. Apart from 2020, a team of medical personnel from RockHealth Integrated Care Org constituted the team that staged the timely response. RICO, Hope Citadel Foundation and Operation Blessing, constituted a formidable partnership which eventually led to attributable success of the Field Hospitals set up at several stations.
The activities of the engagement added to the concerted efforts targeted at improving primary health care in the county. Some of the areas that were hard-hit by the epidemic included East Pokot’s Kapunyany, Sugut, Embositit, Kongor, Chesawach and Kulal. The areas are engulfed in a tough terrain that is poorly accessible by road. Antimalarials amongst other assorted medication were left at the local dispensary at Tangulbei, Chemolingot Level IV Hospital, Kapunyany Dispensary and Rotu Community Health Unit. to facilitate it further. Mosquito nets were distributed by Operation Blessing International. In 2019, 1500 doses of antimalarial were distributed to healthcare facilities, nearly 800 patients were attended to and more than 3000 mosquito nets distributed across 7 villages.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 epidemic, RICO did not organize a medical aid but rather made donations of pharmaceuticals to Rotu Community Health Unit and 3- month food relief. The team was there to distribute the food donation. The pastoralist community is still struggling to catch up with crop-farming and while it does so, the aim is to provide perennial food relief. The impact is ultimately felt by the school-going children who do not go to school hungry and study better to change the future of the community.
In 2017, the first medical aid provided by the RICO field hospital provided medical services to 956 members of the community in a single day. Then, the Rotu Community Health Unit had remained dormant for some time. It had been functional until August, 2017 but stopped functioning following lack of medical personnel. The Rotu Community Health Unit now serves a population of nearly 12,000 people. During this time, a food relief was launched providing meals to 170 H. In 2018, RICO yet responded to another Malaria outbreak in the county.
RICO proposes revamping and facilitating the dispensaries around by holding collaborative discussions with the county government of Baringo in ways they could partner with the organization in order to ensure medical personnel are allocated to the area. In addition, mobilizing for further facilitation to keep the dispensaries in operation sustainably in order to bridge the gap. In its growing capacity to serve Kenyan citizens, RockHealth Integrated Care Org is determined to continue exploring ways of improving primary health care in the area so that epidemiological data is developed, analyzed and utilized in decision making as well as in instituting an appropriate public health response
On 10th to 12th September, 2021, RICO set up field hospitals at two different wards in Kehancha including Kugitimo Dispensary and the Kwiriba Rescue Center. Services offered include general consultation, eye clinic, dental laboratory and pharmacy. A total of 683 patients were served during the period of time. Females made up the majority with 64% and males 36%. The field hospital held at the dispensary aimed at improving the services offered by providing more resources and promoting data collection on the epidemiology of the area.
On May 31st to June 3rd, 2018, RICO had dispatched its medical team to Kuria East Sub County. One of the remote wards in the sub-county had been adversely hit by floods in the period March-May and there was a proposal to have a field hospital at Gokeharaka Shopping Centre with a mobile team reaching out to the flood-hit area. Geographically, Kuria East is one of the 8 sub[1]counties in Migori County with the others being Suna East, Suna West, Nyatike, Uriri, Rongo, Kuria West and Awendo. The poverty index stands at 0.496 in the rural areas. Most people depend on small-scale agricultural cultivation and livestock-rearing to take care of their daily needs. Tobacco cultivation and use are also rampant in the area.
Thanks to our host, Dr. Mahiri, the planning was near seamless and less of a burden on the team. Massive mobilization was done on the ground with the help of local officials including the chief, area Member of County Assembly, Member of Parliament and the County Government of Migori. There was good coordination with the organizing committee at RICO ensuring everything went as planned.
The camp ran over two days. The main station was at Gokeharaka Shopping Centre and a mobile team was dispatched each day to Siabai Makonge Area where floods had been reported early on in the year. Over the two days, a total of 683 patients were seen. Females made up the majority at 437 (63.98%) while males were 246 representing 36.02%. Worth noting also, the majority of the patients were youth aged 13-39 years while under-5’s represented only 7.76% of patients seen. The contraceptive uptake rate in the area can subjectively be classified as good. Overall, the disease prevalence followed a predictable pattern as there were no major departures from existing data on disease profile on the county save for a few remarkable facts. Gastrointestinal conditions ranked first as the biggest cause of morbidity among patients seen. Respiratory conditions ranked second and a new entrant, dermatological conditions ran a close third position to close the top three list. Urinary tract infections are, however, still a cause of concern among women of reproductive age.
From 21st March, 2019 to 23rd March, 2019, RICO set up field hospitals at Gitayama and Nyamethaburo wards. During this time, 626 patients were seen. At this time, about 1000 residents of Migori County have been displaced from their homes by raging floods following the heavy rains pounding the area. Most of them benefited from the services provided during the field hospital.
During the years, there were a few challenges experienced including difficulties in accessing the site due to the poor state of the so-called ‘access roads’ complicated by heavy rains. The team was however always been up to the task.
RICO research team is normally tasked with collecting epidemiological data from the Field Hospital. This involves a detailed prescription-per-prescription analyses of the conditions. The value of this is realized when the data is consumed for the purposes of informing healthcare decisions. 991 patients were served during a 2-day free Field Hospital running through 27th and 28th November, 2021 at Adiedo Primary School. arthritis, hypertension, hypertensive crises, upper respiratory tract infections, peptic ulcer disease cases, urinary tract infections, skin and skin structure infections among others were diagnosed. Out of all the cervical cancer screening tests done, all turned out negative while 2 patients were positive for cervicitis. 42 cases were referred within which were suspected oral, colorectal cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia.
During the Field Hospital, the following number of cases were realized:
Through the clinical officers-in-charge of Adiedo Dispensary and Kugitimo Dispensary and Nurse-in-charge at Rotu Community Health Unit, follow-up was made on all referral cases. During the Adiedo Field Hospital, reading eye-glasses were not readily available and therefore contacts of the patients who needed them had to be procured after the Field Hospital. So far, 53 reading glasses have been purchased and sent to Adiedo Dispensary for allocation to each patient. Donations made to the facilities will help with dealing with further cases that did not meet the Field Hospital and would serve them for months to come.
RICO’s steering committee is an advisory body that is part of its governance. RICO has a vibrant, innovative and proactive steering committee charged with running its daily activities and programs. I cannot express enough appreciation to the committee for their determined work. The committee is composed of seven members namely Victor Owino, Eve Komora, Emmy Mwririchia, Noah Manoti, Dr. Mevin Shahada, and Christine Mutonyi. The committee possesses unique and diverse abilities to motivate ambassadors and discharge their duties with precision, impartiality and unmatched enthusiasm. Within our organization, the committee acts as a link between the larger execute and ambassadors. The great efficiency and coordination of activities and projects have ensured that the organization operates seamlessly.
RICO has held a record of events over the last two years since the inception of the steering committee. To mention a few, the organization boasts of regular fortnight continuous medical education. The committee has always managed to invite professionals and authorities in the medical field to share the latest information regarding management of several conditions in their respective specialties. RICO steering committee is an invention of our able Ambassador’s Director”(AD), Dr Davies Opiyo, who is always determined to ensuring the organization remains an undisputed authority in offering primary healthcare services to remote and underprivileged areas within our borders in tandem with the organization’s vision. The committee continues to receive unwavering support from the organization top brass led by Dr Hakeem and Dr Juma and the entire executive team. The steering committee has ensured punctual and excellent completion of projects. Thus far, we have successfully coordinated field hospitals in various parts of the country. These include those conducted in Rotu, Kehancha, and Kendu Bay.
The Steering Committee’s role is to provide advice, ensure delivery of the project outputs and the achievement of project outcomes. Our tasks in the organization have also entailed providing input to the development of projects, including the evaluation strategy; providing advice on the budget, defining and helping to achieve the project outcomes; identifying the priorities in the project, where the most energy should be directed; identifying potential risks, monitoring timelines; monitoring the quality of the events as they develop; providing advice and sometimes making decisions about changes to the project as it develops. To this end, the committee has not disappointed in executing these duties.
Notable, under the stewardship of the committee and the good will from the CEO, AD, and MD, RICO boasts of having conducted transparent and competitive interviews for its new ambassadors. Additionally, we have initiated continuous initiatives such as the pad drive aiming to make the lives of needy girls in remote areas bearable. As a committee, we have been keenly following the progress of each initiative and remain forever committed to see the organization rise and grow beyond its original objectives.
