For years, kidney patients in parts of Murang’a county have braced themselves for exhausting journeys to get to distant hospitals to access dialysis services.
Today, many of the patients have breathed a sigh of relief after the introduction of mobile dialysis services covering sub-counties within parts of Murang’a South.
A mobile dialysis truck introduced earlier this year by the Murang’a county government in partnership with the Bencare organisation has quietly transformed the lives of patients who once travelled for hours to access lifesaving treatment.
By bringing dialysis services closer to communities in Gatura, Kirwara and Maragua, the unit has eased the financial, physical and emotional burden that came with seeking care far from home.
One of the benefiting patients, Joseph Wainaina, narrates the struggle he underwent to get to a medical facility offering dialysis services.
Wainaina, a resident of Gatura in Gatanga Sub County, was diagnosed with kidney failure early last year; his life quickly became centred around dialysis sessions in Thika, the nearest facility offering the service at the time.
For the patient, each visit meant waking up as early as 3 am, enduring a long commute and returning home completely drained.
“Dialysis leaves you weak and the journey back was always harder than the one going,” he recalls, adding, “By the time I got home, I had no energy left.”
That routine changed in June when Wainaina was enrolled in the mobile dialysis programme operating from Gatura Health Centre, just a short distance from his home.
He now attends two sessions a week without the stress of long travel.
“The money I used to spend on transport now helps me meet other needs. Most importantly, I feel healthier and more stable.” He notes.
Similar relief is echoed by Rachael Wangui, who was diagnosed with kidney failure in May this year.
After attending her first sessions in Thika, she joined the mobile unit, a move she describes as timely and life-changing.
“What used to take me nearly three hours now takes less than one. I can go for dialysis and still have strength to do other things.” Wangui says.
According to the officer in charge of the dialysis unit managed by BenaCare, Ezra Ondeyo, the mobile clinic is not just about convenience but quality care.
He says the machines used offer advanced treatment through hemodiafiltration, a method that removes waste from the blood more effectively than standard dialysis.
“We have seen better clinical outcomes among patients. Shorter travel distances also mean patients are less likely to miss their sessions.” Ondeyo notes.
The unit serves three Health facilities twice a week and treats up to nine patients daily, a significant intervention in a county where renal services remain overstretched.
Dr James Karuha, a nephrologist at Murang’a Referral Hospital, says cases of kidney disease are steadily rising, largely due to lifestyle-related factors.
Dr Karuha notes that the county’s two renal units, in Murang’a Level 5 and Kigumo Sub County hospital, with only 15 dialysis machines, cannot meet the growing demand of the dialysis services.
“In the past, patients were forced to travel to health facilities in the neighbouring Kiambu or Nairobi counties which was costly and exhausting,” he explains.
“Some even skipped treatment altogether because they couldn’t afford transport, with tragic consequences,” he added.
Dr Karuha further observes that the mobile dialysis truck was introduced to bridge the gap, adding that plans are already underway to deploy an additional unit to serve residents of Kangema and Mathioya sub-counties.
Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata says the initiative reflects the county’s commitment to decentralising healthcare services.
He acknowledges that existing renal units in Murang’a and Kigumo hospitals are overwhelmed, thus making the mobile unit a critical lifeline.
“Healthcare must be accessible; the mobile dialysis unit is a major boost in ensuring patients receive timely and quality care without unnecessary hardship.” states Kang’ata.
For patients like Wainaina and Wangui, the mobile dialysis services represent more than a medical service; it is a second chance at dignity, strength and life itself.
By Bernard Munyao and Purity Mugo
