County Government of Laikipia

On Wednesday last week, a couple from Laikipia North, Mr. and Ms. Miles, waited anxiously at the visitors' area of the NTRH renal unit. Their youngest son, Bill, 12, was undergoing his second dialysis session at the facility.

  

Last week, Bill became the youngest patient to have ever been attended at the NTRH renal unit.

  

The youngest patient we had on dialysis previously was 32 years old, so obviously the supplies we had could serve the adults only and we had to make a special order for a complete pediatrics dialysis kit to serve Bill. explains Mr. Mugo Mambo, the officer in charge of the Renal Unit at NTRH.

  

The story of the young patient is an account of prompt medical intervention, importance of having a health insurance cover and commitment by NTRH medics to tailor our solutions for special cases.

  

Kenyatta National Hospital had referred Bill here six months allowing him to cut the costs related to staying in Nairobi for the Kimanjo family. NTRH has a state-of-the-art renal unit that carries out a total of 14 dialysis sessions per day.

  

A very big thank you to the administration for the swift action of getting the supplies for the renal unit in time. As a result, we have successfully dialyzed a 12-year-old male, the youngest ever in the unit. Mr. Mambo wrote on the hospital staff WhatsApp group on Friday.

  

According to Mr. Miles, young Bill's health issues started last year after a swelling on the leg caused by a minor prick by a thorn.

  

Thinking that it could be a tetanus case, the father took the son to the dispensary for medication. Bill, then a class four pupil at Kimanjo Primary School, showed no signs of improvement after the treatment.

  

The swelling spread to the upper part of the leg a few days later.

  

Things took a turn for the worse when the swelling spread to the torso and chest area, prompting the boy's parents to seek further treatment at Kimanjo Sub-County Hospital from where he was referred to NTRH.

  

At NTRH, Bill was diagnosed with kidney complications and was immediately referred to KNH for review by a pediatric renal specialist. He later underwent surgery for catheter placement and was immediately started on dialysis towards the end of last year.

  

Following the successful catheter placement surgery, Bill immediately embarked on his weekly dialysis sessions at KNH from early December last year.

  

Due to the high cost of sustaining the family in the city, the two hospitals made arrangements for his referral to NTRH to continue his dialysis sessions.

  

We made a requisition to the administration for the supply of the special pediatrics dialysis kit and it responded promptly says Mr. Mambo.

  

The entire medical intervention for Bill was without a doubt, an expensive financial undertaking.

  

Luckily for his family, their subscription to the NHIF Super Cover helped cut the expenses by a whopping Ksh. 800,000.

  

We are glad the NHIF supported to offset a big part of the cost. The cost of medication was just too high for us even as we struggled to meet basic needs for the family. Mr. Miles explained.

  

Mambo is quick to note the significance of health insurance for a patient in need of dialysis services. A single dialysis session costs Kshs 9,200. Two sessions per week and that brings the figure close to Kshs 900,000 per year.

  

Compare that to the 6,000 shillings annual subscription to the NHIF Super Cover and you realize it' a drop in the ocean.

  

NTRH Renal Unit team believes that with proper care, he could be treated back to full recovery.

  

Of course the ultimate solution is a kidney transplant, but we have seen patients recover their kidney functions fully and are freed from dialysis.

Mambo observes.

  

With access to dialysis closer home, Bill will be able to resume his education, besides cutting the cost of his medication for his parents.

  

Mr. Mambo, however, has a word of caution on the community's health seeking behaviour. For the case of our young boy and many others, we are continually witnessing people not being proactive in seeking medical attention. The public needs to heed the call for prompt check-ups to enable healthcare givers to initate life-saving interventions. the medic says.

  

(Published by ICT | Source: Laikipia Weekly Newsletter Issue 0057)