Patients at the National Spinal Injury and Referral Hospital have a reason to smile after Kenya Reinsurance Corporation (Kenya Re) donated therapy equipment to the facility.
The equipment is expected to enhance the hospital’s ability to cope with the increasing number of spinal injury patients.
The donation consisted of 64 specialised items, ranging from heavy duty suction machines for use in surgery, ripple mattresses for high-risk patients, wound VAC machines, a Cervical Spine Mayfield Holder and wheelchairs for both quadriplegic and paraplegic patients.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, Kenya Re Group managing director Hillary Maina Wachinga said he was happy to support the government’s agenda on Universal Health Coverage.
“The corporation knows that this partnership will go a long way to making healthcare for spinal injury patients more accessible and affordable,” he said.
“Our efforts provide the much-needed support for rehabilitation therapy in the country and are in line with Kenya Re’s commitment to supporting critical healthcare initiatives that positively impact the community.”
He added that the equipment will help the hospital meet its service demands in the areas of Curative Spinal Services, Rehabilitation Services and Promotive and Preventive Spine Care.
National Spinal Injury and Referral Hospital chief executive officer Kibet Shikuku noted that spinal injury cases reported annually have increased steadily every year from 250 to 700 in the last 10 years, with several others not attended to at the hospital.
“Our facility, which currently has a bed capacity of 35 patients, is not equipped to handle this influx of patients, which has translated to long waiting periods for patients before they can secure admission,” he said.
He added that donation will improve outcomes for patients and will enable the facility provide specialised services to others who seek for help in other countries.
Other than the support to NSIRH, Kenya Re has provided support to persons with disability in Kenya through the Niko Fiti campaign, where over 12,800 people have benefited from mobility and assistive devices so far since inception of the programme in 2011.
The corporation has also partnered with Kenya Institute of Special Education to equip a state-of-the-art Psycho-Education Assessment and Rehabilitation centre which is one of the best in East and Central Africa.
Source: The Star
