Owing to the high cost of living and challenges in accessing Murang’a Level 5 Hospital and dispensaries, elderly patients with high blood pressure and diabetes, have appealed to the County Government, to consider availing their daily drugs through Community Health Promoters (CHPs).

Speaking in Kimorori, Murang’a South Sub-county during a routine check-up by the area CHPs, the patients who are mostly aged 60 years and above, also want the County government to enlist more households in the Governor’s medical scheme known as Kangata Care.

The medical scheme currently covers only 20,000 households who enjoy free access to medical services, both inpatient and outpatient.

This, they said, will help more people access free medical services and also ease their burden, since their conditions are non-communicable, with long-term health consequences and thus create a need for long-term treatment, management, and care.

‘I have lived with diabetes and high blood pressure for many years now and accessing the dispensar
y every time is both time-consuming and expensive, considering my old age,’ says 77-year-old Mary Mungai, at her home in Kimorori.

‘Even if I’m told to go for the drugs at Kenol or Katipanga Dispensary, which is close to my home, I’m not able to go,’ she says.

‘As you can see I have a problem with my legs and a can neither walk nor use a motorbike, so anytime I need to go for my blood pressure and blood sugar checkups, I must use taxi, yet I do not have money,’ she adds.

Mungai observes that her daily dose of drugs is bought by well-wishers and if the County government can avail the drugs to the Community Health Promoters, it would be easier to manage the conditions, since they will deliver them as they make routine calls.

Another elderly patient, Mary Njoki, 74, notes that she attends her clinics at Murang’a Level 5 Hospital, but with the home routine visits by the CHPs, she can now track her blood pressure and blood sugar levels, from the comfort of her home, because she is immobilized.

‘The CHPs have
advised me on how to manage my condition, my weight and they are a phone call away, whenever I need my blood and sugar levels checked,’ she says

Njoki underscored the need for the CHPs, to have some of the drugs in their kits, to ease the patient’s burden even further.

At the same time, one of the CHPs, Elizabeth Kamande, told KNA that during their routine home visits, they are met with the dilemma of not being able to help the patients, even those in direst need of the drugs, and added they can only refer them to hospital.

‘You also find a patient who is completely indisposed and vulnerable, they expect you to come with the most basic drugs to manage their conditions, because they do not have the finances or wherewithal to get to the nearest hospital or dispensary,’ she adds.

‘Having some of the drugs to manage the prevalent high blood pressure and diabetes and some common ailments in the kit, would come in handy at the grassroots level, ‘ she notes

Source: Kenya News Agency