Tana Delta Residents Request Health Centre

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

Alphonce Gari

21 June 2011

Residents of Kinyadu area in Tana Delta district have asked for a health facility to deal with crocodile attacks, snake bites, and maternal care. They said expectant mothers have no maternity wing and give birth at home using traditional attendants putting their lives at risk.

Led by Napasha Hiribai a resident who is also the headteacher of Mnazini Primary School, they said the nearest health facility is five kilometres away and could also not deal with serious cases.

Hiribai was speaking during the official opening ceremony of the primary school she heads by area MP Danson Mungatana. She said the cost of hiring an ambulance from Garsen 40 kilometres away is Sh4,000 which majority of the locals can not afford. “We want to get medical services around here so as to improve health standards; there are about 10 cases of women who die each year for lack of proper medical services,” she said.

Hiribai said a dispensary was built five years ago but had stalled. “The dispensary was built but has no staff, no medical services it’s like a beehive without bees, we want to get these services so as to improve the health standards in the area,” she said.

Other cases which were rampant in the area she said included crocodile attacks snake bites and wild animals which put the lives of the residents at high risk.

Hiribai said whenever such cases occurred it was difficult for patients to access health services adding that others lost their lives due to delay in reaching the dispensaries. “Due to the extreme poverty in the area patients are forced to be carried by motorcycles as the locals cannot afford ambulance costs which is hectic,” she said. Mungatana said he would source for funds to equip the health facility soon to enable the residents access health services.

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