The story of ‘John’
While John (not his real name), a typical teenager, was playing football with his friends, he fell and fractured his arm. With lack of access to medical care, his arm got infected and as a result, when he finally sought specialized treatment, his arm had to be amputated.
Health workforce disparity
Like many countries in Africa, there is a large disparity in health workforce distribution across Kenya, which is influenced by a number of factors including demographics, number of health care facilities and epidemiological profile of individual counties. Most doctors are located in the Kenyan capital city, Nairobi and other urban areas, yet most Kenyans live in rural areas. Rural populations are therefore forced to come to the cities, notably Nairobi, for specialized treatment.
Identifying the gap
Working at Cure International hospital in Kijabe, Kiambu county, Dr. Speciosa Mbula Nguku, an anaesthesiologist, and her husband, Dr. Levis Nguku, an orthopaedic surgeon, noticed that many of the patients who came for orthopaedic surgery came from Machakos, Makueni and Kitui counties. This realisation baffled them. As they conducted research they realised that only one orthopaedic surgeon was located in Machakos county at the time, and could not meet the need of the county.
In addition, the story of ‘John’ is one Dr. Speciosa knows well. His arm would have been saved if he had access to specialized treatment earlier. It is a story that changed her career path and led her to cofound Machakos Orthopaedic Clinic together with her husband Dr. Levis Nguku. Together the couple felt the urge towards missionary work and supporting communities with their specialized skills. The story of John and many other patients like him gave them the impetus they needed.
Machakos Orthopaedic Clinic
Guided by the words of Matthew 5;16, ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,’ Machakos Orthopaedic Clinic aims to provide fast turn around time, high quality and pocket friendly services to all their patients. They also provide ethical care in paediatric and adult orthopaedics, pain management, joint replacement, physiotherapy, sports medicine and spine surgery. In order to provide affordable health care to those in need, the clinic operates within NHIF rates for procedures and imports any implants required using the European Standard of Certification to ensure quality.
Their main clinic days are Monday, Tuesday and Friday, while Wednesday and Thursday remain their surgical days. Although they see their biggest impact being the provision of affordable world class solutions in their community, and have been recognized internationally by partners such as TBN Africa , a number of challenges remain.
The challenge
The clinic’s main challenge is not having enough theatre spaces. They tend to receive more patients than theatre spaces available which limits their impact in the society. Furthermore, there is still the unmet need for orthopaedic surgeons in the area. Dr. Speciosa hopes that in the near future they can provide mobile surgical solutions to even more remote communities and mentor young doctors and orthopaedic surgeons to work within rural communities.
In terms of their contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), they contribute to Goal No. 1(No poverty) and Goal No. 3 (Good Health and well-being).
Contacts:
Machakos Orthopaedic Clinic can be contacted through the details below:
Tel: 0733 398 390 0720 010 909
