By Habil Onyango
Over 300, residents of God Kwach Village in Kasipul constituency had a reason to smile after they benefited from a free medical camp from a faith-based health institution.
The faith-based medical institution, Beryl’s Medical Centre, recently undertook the provision of medical care to vulnerable persons in Homa Bay County and neighboring Kisii.
Beril’s Medical Centre despite its location in the Kotieno-Konuonga in West Kasipul ward village within Kasipul constituency, has spread its gospel of free medical camps to five counties.
And 19 of the beneficiaries are currently admitted at the hospital undergoing specialized treatment.
“And recently, residents of Kasipul constituency had a reason to smile after befitting from a medical camp sponsored by the medical organization adding to the number of regions that have benefited from them,” Mr. Newton Ogada, the Director of the Institution said.
Mr. Ogada said they have conducted free medical camps in various counties namely Turkana, Kisumu, Narok, Kisii, Nakuru, and Homa Bay with the aim of bringing medical services closer to the people.
“We have conducted four medical camps in Karachuonyo, one in Turkana, Nakuru, Narok, and Kisii. We have also done camp in Nyakach constituency of Kisumu county,” he said.
Ogada said in Kabondo they have undertaken 10 medical camps, three in Kasipul, one each in Ndhiwa, Kagan, and Rangwe respectively,” he said.
He said the commitment of the health institution was to give free medical care to the vulnerable across the country in line with the scripture.
“We do home-based care, we visit the old and poor who cannot manage to visit the hospital.,” he said.
And in Kasipul, recently, beneficiaries included the elderly, and people living with disabilities drawn from the area, who could not access specialized medical care because of financial constraints.
MS Viona Anyango Odhiambo, a physician at Beryl Medical Centre said the initiative was a response to the emerging health challenges in the area that needed urgent response.
“The medical camp was a social corporate service to the community by our organization. We are responding to the people’s needs by giving medical care,” she said.
She said a number of patients especially the elderly suffer silently in their homes with no one to help them access proper health services,
“We have walked across the village and discovered a number of elderly persons who are unable to seek medication in various health facilities or lack of finance stuck in their homes suffering silently,” said Odhiambo
“We have picked them to our health facility where they will be treated and in case of any complication, we will refer them to other better health facilities for treatment,” she said.
The exercise involves physicians from Beryl’s Medical Centre and even foreign physicians.
It involves several services which include gynecology, psychiatry, optical and dental disorders, general illnesses, and screening for cervical cancer among others.
Dr Lucy Okelo of Berils expressed gratitude that after a long illness, most of the beneficiaries have responded well to the treatment.
She said they mapped the area and took the free medical services in the interior parts of the villages where the locals cannot access essential health services.
A beneficiary by the name, Domain Achieng from God Kwach thanked the facility management for bringing closer free medical service to the locals.
“I am happy for the initiative, my grandmother has been sickling for some time, and she has been lying at home due to lack of money to take her to hospital, we have brought her here today and she has been treated and given free drugs,” she said.
