Residents of Chepkitale in Mt Elgon sub-county got a rare opportunity to have a medical examination by medical practitioners as the Beyond Zero mobile clinic was taken to the region flanked, by health workers from Mt Elgon sub-county hospital. With a population of over seven thousand people, the residents mainly from the Ogiek sub-tribe of the Sabaot community do not have any medical facility in the vicinity and have to travel for over thirty kilometers to access the nearest facility either in Kapsokwony or Kopsiro, a situation they say has been great a challenge especially to expectant mothers and children.
Andrew Kitelo the vice chairman of the council of elders of the Ogiek community says since past times, they’ve stayed in Mt Elgon forest and have been calling upon the government to degazette the land as a forest land so as they can as well have such facilities, as a dispensary, to take care of them. He disclosed that many years after independence, its now that they have come to terms with the benefits of the government through devolution after the Kaberwa-Chepkitale road was rehabilitated, saying they are now looking forward to the Bungoma County government to set up a dispensary in the area saying it will be of much help to them.
Bungoma County Health CEC Stephen Kokonya while presiding over the Beyond Zero clinic service said after visiting the area sometime before, he felt there was a need for the County government to put in place measures aimed at helping the residents access medical facilities with ease. He said after consultation with other stakeholders they agreed to have the mobile clinic be brought to Chepkitale for two days as they consider a proposal to have a dispensary set up in the area, adding that with the government logistics, it may take some time before its put in place.
“In the financial year of 2013-2014, money was allocated to cater for plans to put up the dispensary but since there was a poor road network, we could not set up good transportation and construction mechanisms and the project was not a success, but now that the road is passable we will push for a budget specifically meant for the dispensary,” he said.
He further disclosed that as the county government, they are keen to ensure medical services are brought closer to the people at the grass root level saying even after the Beyond Zero clinic, the Mt Elgon sub-county medics will be occasionally be visiting the place to offer medical services to the people.
Mr. Kokonya said mothers and children are most at risk, given that they can’t easily access medical facilities, insisting they have to be taken care of so as to secure the future generation that will be pivotal for the country in future.
He added that they will also be engaging community health volunteers in matters relating to public health, saying as a county government they have also set aside some money to cater for that.
Public administration CEC Mokin Arap Tanguny who hails from the community said the county government will ensure the dispensary as well as other basic services are set up in the area to enable the residents to enjoy the services of the government like people in other areas.
He said the residents have suffered for a long time because of travelling for long distances in order to access basic facilities, yet they are tax payers like other citizens.
Mokin further expressed his concern over the large number of residents in the area who don’t have identity cards and called upon the relevant department to conduct a mobile identity card registration exercise in the region saying it will be a great boost to them.
Mt Elgon Sub County medical superintendent Hillary Sivachi said they offered services such as VCT, cancer screening, Malaria and many other diseases and called upon the residents not to fear being screened as it will help them live a healthy life.