Skip to main content

State of Health in Kenya; Lessons from Death of Friends

Slightly more than a month ago, I attended the funeral of one Anthony Munyao Kamwe. Anthony Munyao Kamwe  was your average university student , in his early twenties, and with a bright future ahead of  him. His life was cut short by stomach cancer.

His burial was at his home,  inside the Kitui National Reserve, a dry area littered by baobab trees hundreds of years old;  an area where portions of the forest are still intact, despite the harsh weather. The area is a 2 hour earthen road drive from Kitui town, which itself is a 2 hour drive from Nairobi.

His death provided us with 2 important lessons.

First is the state of health care in the country. Anthony Munyao was the second friend I lost to health complicated matters in an year, the first been Sylvia, a beautiful girl who succumbed to Kidney failure. Anthony Munyao was diagnosed with ulcers while in high school which was about 7 years ago. He was treated for ulcers , a condition which kept recurring time and again. About 2 weeks before he died, his condition deteriorated, and he was taken to Kenyatta National Hospital for further diagnosis. There they discovered that he had stomach cancer, which had advanced over time to an incurable state.  He had been misdiagnosed with ulcers all that time he was been treated for ulcers.

Ironically,  one week after we buried him, the Daily Nation published an article about the anti-carcinogenic qualities of some fruits called “matomoko”. The fruits grow in abundance in Kitui district.

Back to  Sylvia, she seemed a healthy girl until she took a trip to Kisumu for a camp in 2007. She enjoyed the camp, other than for swelling of her arms, legs and face. She had experienced such swellings before especially after travelling, and she thought they were caused  by the travelling. After the camp, she went for a medical check up. There she was diagnosed with kidney failure.

She underwent several dialysis sessions, and was due for a transplant before she passed away in 2008.

This brings us to the state of the medical sector in the country. Doctors are rare, expensive and burdened. Hospitals are under staffed and technologically handicapped in terms of medical equipment. This has resulted in a situation where we have many clinics and dispensaries manned by clinical officers. Here patients are treated for symptoms and common ailments. Many patients suffering from curable conditions are misdiagnosed  for other ailments while undergoing treatment at this hospitals and health units. By the time correct diagnosis is done, they are usually on their death bed.

To stop the loss of young people to search ailments, we need a lot of investment in the health sector. Apart from the government  building new hospitals, we need to further improve the health policy by proper training of more personnel and better equipping of existing health facilities.

The second lesson I learnt from Anthony Munyao's death was to do with his schooling. Anthony Munyao came from an impoverished area, and went for secondary education at Starehe Boys Centre and School. He was a sponsored student, and he was able to complete his education and proceed to university due to financial support from sponsors. At his funeral, the speakers pointed out that less than 5 people from the area have attended university education.

The role of Starehe Boys Centre and School in securing the education of many less privileged schools is quite critical in our Kenya. Such institutions have helped many Kenyans achieve their dreams, and helped improve the welfare of their families. Their importance in their society should not ignored.

Help improve and make affordable the health and education sectors in the Country. We should not loose more friends.
Blogged with the Flock Browser

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why More Kenyans are Switching To Craft Beers

Dire Straits from Bateleur is one of the most popular craft beers in Kenya. High quality ingredients mean more refined flavours I have been running an experiment for months now. Have you ever considered that you could be having a much better beer than what you had last weekend? Most people don’t think so, but the many who have undergone my experiment have found this to be the case. The experiment involved trying out craft beers, and many of my friends found that they liked beers from Bateleur better. These include Dire Straits - a medium beer,  or Bila Shaka which has higher alcohol content for those looking for a punch. Even ladies, many who confess to hate the taste of beer, have found these beers to be pleasant and even drinkable. Kenya is truly in a new beer age. 

Rather than positivity, Kenya needs to face its problems

Traffic between Thika and Nairobi as a result of Highway Bumps and reliance on the road  as the sole link between the two towns. Arguing the traffic is better than in Lagos or encouraging people to use the road earlier doesn't solve the problem A fierce debate springs up every now and then on development in Kenya, or in other developing countries. There are two schools of thought - those who argue that a lot needs to be done and what is there is barely much, and those who feel a lot of progress has been made. Those who focus on the progress will point out that at least Kenya (or another country) is better than its neighbouring or other countries in its status when it comes to some aspect such as roads, or education. While this is true, it however presents a lot of danger as we will discuss shortly.

How to Make Your Own Sparkling Water

Buying your own kit means you need to carbonate it in a fridge or freezer since Carbon Dioxide best dissolves at temperatures around zero.  I have been making my own sparkling water for about a month now.  It started with a love for carbonated water, but being appalled by the price - about KSh. 80 per 700 ml recyclable glass bottle. Sparkling water is sold as a premium drink.  This got me researching into what it really takes to make your own sparkling water. 

Why Humanity Hasn't Learned From the Covid Pandemic

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic began ravaging the world, succeeding the 1918 flu pandemic.  Many found it unbelievable that despite all the scientific progress that the world has made since 1918, from composite jets to modern healthcare to going to the moon, the world was still susceptible to a pandemic.  Ironically, some of these advancements largely played a role in the spread of the pandemic. Thousands of global flights every hour and air conditioning fanned its spread like a dry wind would in a forest fire.  There was even further disbelief in mid-2020 when it became apparent that many countries were even struggling to keep a pandemic in check. Developed countries, supposed to have the best healthcare, suffered the worst outbreaks amidst disagreements on measures such as quarantines and wearing of masks.  In yet another twist, technology advancement finally came to our rescue with the speedy development of vaccines, including the safe pioneering of never-tried-b...

Visiting Watamu

Getting to Watamu: Flight to Malindi Airport. Jambojet flies here and so do other airlines from Wilson. You'll then need a Cab to Watamu (KSh. 1,700 to KSh. 2,000 - many apps are inaccurate) or matatu just outside the airport (KSh. 100) SGR to Mombasa, then shuttle to Watamu. There are about 2 regular shuttles and they charge KSh. 1,500 to KSh. 2,000 one way  Bus to Watamu. Tahmeed and other buses operate regular schedules to Total Watamu  Drive: It's faster branching through Mariakani to Kaloleni then to Kilifi. The route through Tsavo is not any faster and has park fees. Takes 9 hours  Things to do  Beach Sunbathing : Watamu has some of the world's best beaches, with white sand. The left side from Watamu Village has a bay with shallow water during low tide,  you can wade and swim in the ocean even if you don't know how to swim! Ocean is warm in July - August but very windy. Watamu beaches have lots of seaweed but this shouldn't deter yo...