Vision

The Promotion of Holistic Health of the Body, Mind, and Soul

Mission Statement

In accordance with the healing mission of Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church, the Diocesan Health Facilities in Turkana County work towards the provision and promotion of quality curative, preventive, rehabilitative and sustainable health services to all and in accordance with accessible, affordable and acceptable standards as envisioned by the Ministry of Health for the people of Turkana, particularly the underprivileged. (“YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESSES” - ACTS 1:8)

Goal

To help achieve the Government of Kenya's broad objectives of universal health coverage:  “Health for all by the year 2030 and beyond”, through community participation and involvement in preventive, promotive and curative health care.

Objective

To bring sustainable and accessible health care services to the communities of Turkana and help upgrade the general health and nutrition status of the population (individual, family and community) through continued efforts and community participation.

Turkana County has 13 hospitals, 19 health centres, 177 dispensaries of these only 1 hospital and 3 health Centres have maternity wards.  Diocese of Lodwar has 1 hospital, 3 health centres and 19 dispensaries. Staffing of existing facilities is low and the medical personnel in the County would prefer joining the NGOs for a better pay, hence a high turnover, however the situation is more wanting in the diocesan facilities. The doctor-population ratio stands at 1:20 000, while the nurse-population ratio is 1:2310. The average distance a person needs to travel to the nearest health facility dropped from 50 km in 2013 to 35 km in 2017.

The department offeres medical and health services in accordance with the policies and guidelines of the National and County governments and the teaching of the Catholic church. Currently the Diocese runs one Hospital in Kakuma, two health centers in Lorugum and Nakwamoru and sixteen dispensaries.
 
Kakuma Mission hospital provides services at level 4 which include curative, preventive and rehabilitative, maternal child health and specialist surgical camps. The other health facilities provise curative, preventive & rehabilitative and out reaches clinics in hard to reach areas.

Table 1: DOL Health Facilities and the outreaches/villages they serve:

In order to serve the people of Turkana better, the Diocesan Medical Programme aims to focus on the following areas in the next 5 years:

1.      Expand access to quality and affordable medical services through the setting up of a specialised hospital in Kawalase, Lodwar town. This is envisaged to reduce referral cost for specialist services in other counties.

2.      Strengthen partnership and linkages with key partners delivering and supporting medical and health services in particular the MoU with Turkana County Government.

3.      Expand the medical outreach services and integrate key services like eye, dental and fistula services.

4.      Expand and improve infrastructural facilities in St. Monica dispensary

5.      Expand specialized medical services like ECG, ICU, HDU, renal unit among others in Kakuma Mission Hospital.

6.      Introduce community programme to address Fistula ailment in women.

7.      Capacity building to health units in charges on Proposal Writing

8.      Strengthen proposal writing to donors and well wishers

9.      Construct a Medical Centre at St. Monica dispensary with

10.  Dental clinic

11.  Eye unit  

12.  Develop funds (reserve fund) for Health Programme [each facility to an income generating]

The medical department continues to work with the MoH in Turkana County, EGPAF, UNHCR in Kakuma and other NGOs like Marys Meals among other.

Board (KMPDB)

The medical department has so far registered and licensed 15 health facilities with KMPDB and 4 are pending registration and licensing for different reasons. All sttaf working in the department health facilities are duly licensed by the relevant bodies.

NHIF

The medical departmet continues to offere all services under the NHIF policy to fully registered people.

According to KENPHIA 2018;The annual incidence of HIV among adults in Kenya was 0.14% correspond (36,000). The prevalence of HIV among adults in Kenya was 4.9%.(1.3 million). While HIV prevalence among children was 0.7%.(139,000). The prevalence of viral load suppression (VLS) among all HIV-positive adults in Kenya was 71.6%. Men had markedly lower prevalence of VLS at 65.1% compared to women at 74.6%. The prevalence of VLS in children was 48.3%.

Turkana county prevalence rates stands at 3.6%. with a suppression rate of approximately 87% below UNAIDS target of 95%.
Catholic diocese of Lodwar handles 40% of total HIV/AIDS work load from the population of people living with HIV/AIDS in Turkana county with approximated to be 8000.

HIV CASCADE IN TURKANA COUNTY

UNAIDS 90-90-90 STRATEGY AS PER 2018 ANALYSIS BY KENPHIA REPORT

Turkana county has an estimated population of 32,668 to be identified of which only 8875(27.17%) has been identified with a gap of 23,793( 72.17). For the 2nd 95, the county has a gap of 0.15% to be put on care and for 3rd 95 a gap of 2992( 42,78%) to be suppressed.
 
The following mitigation plan are being employed to manage the situation

1. Continue to support the county government of Turkana through a Memorandum of Understanding to provide health services in Turkana, including but not limited to the existing program areas.
2. Leverage its existing health infrastructures to upgrade the levels and outreaches to enhance service delivery to the community since its nomadic nature poses a challenge. The upgrade of the facilities will target St. Monica, St. Patrick’s, Nakwamoru, Lowarengak and Lokori facilities from level 2 to 3
3. Lobby for investment in health infrastructures that will safeguard maternal health care and provide specialized care.; The above 5 facilities together with St Elizabeth Lorgum will have a minimum requirement of ultrasound that’s currently mandatory to all pregnant mothers. Kakuma mission hospital will require upgrade of services which include erection of a morgue and surgical wards.
4. Establish a Diocese Of Lodwar Mission Hospital at Lodwar town to address the above concerns from the needs of assessment earlier done.
5. Establish and reinforce special programmes for treatment and prevention of non-communicable diseases.
6. Promoting healthy behaviours, youth friendly measures including humanitarian situations and support of youth and women through livelihoods programs and integration of gender-based programs to empower the community.
7. The Diocese of Lodwar will continue to play a crucial role in the efforts to eradicate HIV and AIDS though participation in HIV/AIDS integrated programmes. Diocese of Lodwar will ensure Optimization whereby 90% of people living with HIV will know their status, 90% of all people diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy and 90% of all people receiving anti -retroviral therapy will have viral suppression and be retained on care.
8. Diocese of Lodwar will strengthen its health financing by promoting cost sharing and collaborating with various stakeholders to achieve its aims and goals in service delivery through reduction of staff turnover by harmonizing salaries for medical health personnel.

HIV/AIDS EXPOSED INFANT GRADUATION 2020 CHAPTER (HEI)

Prevention of  mother to child transition of HIV/AIDS  services are the most miraculous events that ARVS have brought in this era. A total of 68 children graduated after turning negative at the age of 18 months. These graduations happened at Nariokotome dispensary and Lokori PHC respectively in the month of September 2020. This is a routine occasion to celebrate the achievement of the great work that are being done by the mothers.

Services closer to communities

Kokisilei dispensary is soon going to be launched as an ART centre in December 2020 to serve the community and the surrounding Riokimor centre as a whole. It has been a satellite site for Nariokotome and now the diocese needs to graduate it to full-fledged ART site.