Kenya Medical Elective in Siaya District Hospital
KENYA MEDICAL ELECTIVE – SIAYA DISTRICT HOSPITAL
Location: Siaya, Western Kenya
Outpatient Clinics: Casualty Dept, Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre for HIV/AIDS, Anti Retroviral Therapy Clinics, Chest Clinics (TB, COAD, Asthma), Mother and Child Health Clinics, Antenatal Clinics, Diabetes Clinic, Eye Unit, Dental Clinic, Ear, Nose and Throat, Immunizations, Psychiatric consultations
Inpatient Wards: Medical, Surgical, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Maternity
Medical Facilities: X-ray, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Laboratory, Theatre, Pharmacy
Number of Doctors: 25
Number of Beds: 240
SIAYA DISTRICT HOSPITAL – SUMMARY
Siaya District Hospital is a large teaching hospital situated in Siaya Town serving an extremely large population of rural living people. The hospital itself is quite run down and is lacking in government funding, but they have recently opened a medical and nursing school in the area so there are now a lot of Kenyan student doctors and nurses completing their training at the hospital so government funding is on the increase.
Siaya district is a rural area in the Nyanza Province of Kenya, close to Lake Victoria and the Ugandan border. It is one of the poorest regions of Kenya which continually faces a number of economic problems, including high unemployment rates (particularly in the youth), limited farm productivity (regular droughts have occurred in Nyanza Province over the last decade and beyond), poor infrastructure and government services and a lack of affordable, quality healthcare.
Unfortunately, Siaya district also has the highest rates of morbidity and mortality in the country due to infectious diseases and the infant mortality rates in Siaya are very high. The most common diseases in Siaya district are malaria, HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, and skin diseases. Severe malnutrition is another major problem, with rates estimated at 2.5 to 5% in children less than 36 months of age.
Recent statistics at Siaya District Hospital show that there are approximately 3 births per day and further statistics show that over 10% of babies were born with low birth weight, and nearly 5% were born prematurely. Nearly 20% of women visiting the Siaya District Hospital Antenatal Clinic had a positive blood smear for malaria, these high rates of low birth weight and premature deliveries are likely to be related to malaria infection during pregnancy.
Adventure Alternative has been sending Medical Students to Siaya District Hospital since 2003 and we have a strong working relationship based on mutual respect and support from both Adventure Alternative and our charity, Moving Mountains Trust. Over the years we have provided a variety of equipment and medical supplies for Siaya District Hospital, most of which have been donated by Medical Students who have spent time at the hospital and have raised funds for our charity.
Elective Video from Western Kenya – Excellent compilation video of Phil Huang’s experiences throughout his Medical Elective at Siaya District Hospital and Dophil Community Clinic (December 2005) in Western Kenya.
Siaya District Hospital Elective Guide – Maddie Trott’s elective guide to her experience at Siaya District Hospital (December 2009).
KENYA MEDICAL ELECTIVE – DOPHIL CLINIC AND MATERNITY HOME
Location: Siaya, Western Kenya
Dophil clinic is approx 20 minutes drive on the road from Ulamba Children’s Home towards a town called Luanda. It is a private clinic that receives financial assistance from a local church, although it is now essentially self-reliant except for large expenditures such as new equipment. It has recently added a Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre for HIV/AIDS, and many of the staff at the clinic have received the relevant training in counselling to run this new service.
They also offer free Anti-Retroviral Drug Therapy as they receive the drugs free from their sponsors. The clinic is operated by three Doctors, one of whom is on site 24 hours a day. There is also a team of Nurses and Laboratory Technicians who work in shifts.
Moving Mountains built the operating theatre on the grounds of Dophil so minor surgery is carried out at the clinic and this helps to take some of the burdens off Siaya District Hospital. The clinic also has a male and female ward, a paediatric ward and a maternity ward with a delivery suite. There is also a laboratory and a mortuary and the clinic provides outpatient chest clinics, mother and child health and family planning clinics, antenatal clinics, diabetes clinics, dental and ear, nose and throat clinics and immunizations.
The clinic offers a wide variety of services to a large surrounding population and is run by an Administration Board Committee consisting of Doctors, Church Officials and members of the local community.
Siaya district is a rural area in the Nyanza Province of Kenya, close to Lake Victoria and the Ugandan border. It is one of the poorest regions of Kenya which continually faces a number of economic problems, including high unemployment rates (particularly in the youth), limited farm productivity (regular droughts have occurred in Nyanza Province over the last decade and beyond), poor infrastructure and government services and a lack of affordable, quality healthcare.
Unfortunately, Siaya district also has the highest rates of morbidity and mortality in the country due to infectious diseases and the infant mortality rates in Siaya are very high. The most common diseases in Siaya district are malaria, HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, and skin diseases. Severe malnutrition is another major problem, with rates estimated at 2.5 to 5% in children less than 36 months of age.
Dophil Clinic is a great introduction to medicine in Western Kenya, though we wouldn’t recommend spending your entire Elective at Dophil, possibly one or two weeks before starting a 3 to 4-week Elective at Siaya District Hospital. It is a great place for aspiring or first/ second-year students not on their Electives but looking for medical experience in a less overwhelming environment.
Irish Times article about health and family planning in Kenya… Featuring our very own Dophil Community Clinic!
KENYA MEDICAL ELECTIVE – EMBU PROVINCIAL HOSPITAL
Location: Embu, Eastern Province
Outpatient Services: Casualty Dept, Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre for HIV/AIDS, Anti Retroviral Therapy Clinics, Chest Clinics (TB, COAD, Asthma), Mother and Child Health Clinics, Antenatal Clinics, Diabetes Clinic, Eye Unit, Dental Clinic, Ear, Nose and Throat, Immunizations & Psychiatric consultations
Inpatient Services: Medical, Surgical, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology & Maternity
Medical Facilities: X-ray, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Laboratory, Theatre for minor surgery & Pharmacy
No. of Doctors: There are approximately 30 qualified doctors working at the hospital ranging from interns to specialist consultants and the hospital provides education facilities and clinical placements for nursing students and also trains laboratory technicians within the hospital. Newly qualified doctors are also supervised through their internships at this hospital.
Number of Beds: 468
EMBU PROVINCIAL HOSPITAL – SUMMARY
Embu Provincial Hospital is a relatively large teaching hospital on the outskirts of Embu town. It is the main hospital for Eastern Province, providing both inpatient and outpatient services for a large population. The hospital has good x-ray facilities and laboratory testing facilities, and referrals are taken from all the surrounding rural clinics and dispensaries.
The hospital is very clean and tidy, and well organised and efficiently run, though it does get overcrowded. At present there are no Intensive Care Facilities, although construction is underway for a new six bedded unit and other additions, all of which will make Embu Provincial the 3rd largest referral hospital in Kenya.
Embu itself is situated on the southern slopes of Mount Kenya and is about 2 hours from Nairobi depending on traffic. Outside of the town it is very green and you’ll find a huge variety different fruit, vegetables, coffee, etc being grown in the foothills of Mt Kenya. There are also some stunning waterfalls, good day hikes and access to Mt Kenya via the Chogoria route. The town itself has a safe feel about it, there are a number of outdoor swimming pools, bars and restaurants and hotels and a young population, due to a number of different colleges and university campus in the area.
Your accommodation in Embu is at the Adventure Alternative Guest House, which is a 5 minute walk from the hospital. The guest house has a large living area, kitchen, hot shower and western toilets, two dorm rooms and a veranda that overlooks the hills which surround Embu.
Moving Mountains has a number of projects in Embu including the renowned ‘Black Cats’ Street Children Football Club and the Rescue Centre for street children. We also support a couple of schools in the area and have successfully set up some of the local street children in businesses or helped them back in to a school/college environment.
Elective Video from Embu – Part 1 of Claire McClintock’s time with Adventure Alternative in Embu where she spent 4 weeks in the physiotherapy department of Embu Provincial Hospital
Elective Video from Kenya – Part 2 of Claire McClintock’s time in Kenya with Moving Mountains and Adventure Alternative where she travelled to Western Kenya to join the one of our school ‘Africamp’ expeditions on the grounds of the Moving Mountains Ulamba Orphanage and Community Village.
Elective Blog from Embu – Joanna Byers Elective blog from Embu Provincial Hospital (April 2012) including her experience on an Adventure Alternative Mt Kenya climb and overland safari.
Moving Mountains Blog from Embu – Update from our staff in Kenya that shares some of the experiences of Antonia Hoyle (Medical Elective – January 2011) who had been working at Embu Provincial and St Mary’s Hospital in Nairobi
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