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Residents of Garissa can now benefit from a new children’s diabetes management centre constructed and equipped by Safaricom Foundation. The facility located at the Garissa County Referral Hospital which is now fully operational will also serve Kitui, Tana River, Isiolo and Wajir Counties.
The project which costed Sh 12 million is part of part of the foundation’s Children with Diabetes programme launched in 2019.
“Our Diabetes programme has reached over 50,000 community members in all the 7 sub-counties of Garissa including over 400 children who now know their diabetes status through our interventions which include regular screening and medical camps”, said Barrak Odero, Trustee, Safaricom Foundation.
The 3-year Children with Diabetes programme is being implemented in partnership with the County Government of Garissa and Pastoralists Girls Initiative. The programme targets children and youth under the age of 21 years and focuses on addressing early detection, comprehensive care and health care system strengthening as well as setting up model child-friendly diabetes clinics.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 26% of bed occupancy in hospitals in Kenya consist of diabetic patients while 50 % of kidney patients are found to be suffering from diabetes.
An estimated 478,000 Kenyans are living with diabetes 60% of whom are unaware while It is estimated that the number of children living with diabetes is increasing at a rate of 3.5 % annually.
