In places like Guitamba, the rural farming community just outside Bahati, access to healthcare is limited. Everything from an earache to giving birth is left unchecked by a medical professional. Combine this lack of access with an inability to pay for services and people are at great risk for infection, disease, and even death. This great need is precisely why we started our mobile nurse health project back in August 2018.
Meet our travel nurse and long-time friend, Teresia. We first met Teresia in Guitamba Farm in 2014. Since then, she has served on our team at annual mobile health camps. In 2018, we hired her to travel to Guitamba Farm twice a month to treat patients at our Expansion International dispensary.
At our free clinic people are tested for malaria, HIV, and pregnancy, and are followed up with at subsequent visits. Patients also receive breathing treatments, are monitored for high blood pressure, and checked for blood glucose levels. Here, patients can get vaccinations, medications, and monthly refills. Patients with more serious conditions are referred to the nearest hospital ten miles away. Their transportation is provided by a grant from Expansion International.
Nurse Teresia saw 883 patients in 2019 alone. We have seen a marked difference in the
overall health of the population of Guitamba Farm as a direct result of Teresia’s work. With the goal of a sustainable healthcare solution in Bahati, we are continuing to send a mobile nurse to help those who need medical attention. And in 2021 we are adding an addition nurse to enable us to provide even more frequent care.
We praise God for this program and for being able to double our nurses this year. If you would like to give to this project, you can do so at the link below.