By Amy Moyi
The Rotary Club of Ongata Rongai East has donated laboratory equipment at Gataka Health Centre in Nkaimurunya ward as part of the club corporate social responsibility(CSR) initiative. The level three facility has received a microscope, centrifuge, diagnostic sets, consumables and furniture equipment. According to the project champion Rotarian Dismus Wakla, the laboratory equipment was the most urgently needed by the facility to facilitate doctors with accurate diagnosis.
“Every treatment must be ascertained through screening for the doctors to have proper diagnosis of what the patient is suffering from. It has been a challenge for the doctors here due to lack of the proper equipment resulting in referrals of patients to other hospitals.” said Wakla.
The Rotary District Governor Joe Kamau has said the organization is committed to development initiatives in the community through member donations grants and donor funding. He has appealed to donors for resources to fund future initiatives.
“With a presence in more than two hundred countries, and 1.4 voluntary members, health intervention is one of the key priorities of rotary club. I am happy for today’s program and we aspire to do more in the next phase including medical camps as we have been undertaking in other parts of the country.” said Kamau.
The Rotary club president Ongata Rongai Mr. Marcillus Otieno identified other needs to be addressed at the facility in future including the need for mental health counseling, equipping with advanced medical equipment and community engagement.
The doctors at the facility cited lack of water as a key challenge in service delivery especially for the childbirth and incubation care because the centre is largely dependent on a the neighbouring school for water supply.
Other challenges cited by the doctors include lack of sufficient human resources and funding. The facility lacks a pharmacist, a health records officer and receives funding by the county government twice a year.
The facility started as a dispensary but has now advanced to a level three hospital which provides antenatal services. Since 2022,there have been 56 successful child deliveries and the workload has increased.
