Section of Kenyans unaware of serious health conditions they have- Health PS Muthoni

It is now emerging that a large percentage of Kenyans may be suffering from diseases they are unaware of.

Consequently, these conditions may only manifest when the situation is critical, leaving little room for intervention.

According to fresh statistics by the Ministry of Health, many Kenyans are essentially walking patients. A call has been made for people to take advantage of the ongoing festivities to either visit hospitals or engage with Community Health Promoters to determine their health status.

Data from the Ministry of Health's Department of Public Health and Professional Standards has painted a grim picture of the status of Kenyans screened for diseases by CHPs.

Of the 22.5 million Kenyans screened for diabetes, over 260,000 were unaware they had the disease and the associated health risks that come with it. Additionally, Out of 15 million screened for hypertension, 577,000 have been referred to hospitals for specialised treatment.

They have now been referred for further check-ups with CHPs keeping a close eye on their status and how they are responding to medication, and if they are taking it.

"The CHPs are doing really well in terms of registration to the taifa care, taking blood pressure, guiding expectant mothers and caregivers on when to go for clinics," Public Health CS Mary Muthoni said on Tuesday in Kibera where she visited CHP's moving door-to-door accessing the health of residents.

"I want to thank them for being the link between our referral system and especially to the Social Health Authority. They are the first point of call at Level 1 before you go to level 2 and they treat you for free."

However, Muthoni highlighted a serious issue in the country: many people are not prioritizing their health or have become too busy to attend to it, not realizing that this could ultimately be their biggest undoing.

She urged Kenyans to prioritize their health and take advantage of CHPs, especially now, as the aforementioned statistics could lead a large percentage of Kenyans to incur higher hospital expenses if not addressed early.

According to PS Muthoni, CHPs, who work closely under the supervision of both the national and county governments, will not go on holiday. Instead, they will take advantage of the period to screen more Kenyans for common ailments, as well as register Kenyans for the Taifa Care

"The CHPs are even able to detect common childhood ailments starting with malnutrition, diarrhoea, malaria, pneumonia and equally guide and advise," she said. .  

She likewise stated that the government will have cleared pending arrears owed to CHPs before next year.

"There has been a delay in terms of payments; remember this is a programme ran by the national and county government on a 50-50 basis. Sometimes there are delays with the exchequer,

"We want to also be very careful that whoever we are paying is actually serving the community as a CHP so because of that verification and ensuring that we have the correct data. We delayed a little but however by the end of this month, CHPs nationwide will be paid what they are owed."