Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital is steadily turning the tide against stroke in the North Rift.
Last week the hospital, working with the Angels Initiative, wrapped up the second Multidisciplinary Stroke Management Training in Eldoret, bringing the total number of health workers equipped with life-saving stroke skills to 270.
Over four intensive days at Eka Hotel, doctors, nurses, emergency staff and rehabilitation specialists sharpened their ability to spot stroke fast, act decisively in the golden hour, deliver acute treatment, manage critical care and support recovery.
The first phase in August trained 110 professionals. The just-concluded second phase added another 160, creating a growing network of responders across Eldoret City and the wider region.
Leading the effort are two members of the MTRH Stroke Committee: Dr Daisy Korir, Consultant Physician and Deputy Head of the Emergency Department, and Dr Jamil Said, Consultant Physician and Neurologist at MTRH and Moi University.
“Every minute matters when it comes to stroke care,” Dr Korir told Kenya News Agency on the sidelines of the workshop.
“We are empowering our teams to make a difference where it matters most—improving stroke care and patient outcomes,” she added.
Dr Said echoed the urgency: “Stroke does not wait for a specialist to arrive. By training colleagues across disciplines, we are ensuring that the right decisions are made from the moment a patient reaches the first health facility. That is how we save brains and lives.”
Dr Andrew Wandera, Senior Director of Clinical Services, officially opened the training on behalf of Chief Executive Officer Dr Philip Kirwa.
“This programme reflects our firm commitment to patient-centred, coordinated and multidisciplinary care,” Dr Wandera stated.
“Stroke care cannot be the responsibility of one department. It must be a seamless chain from recognition to rehabilitation, and we are building that chain across the North Rift,” stressed Wandera.
The initiative forms part of MTRH’s ambitious plan to equip healthcare workers throughout Eldoret and the wider North Rift with stroke recognition and management skills by December 2026.
In the longer term, the hospital aims to strengthen community awareness, speed up emergency referrals, improve critical care and rehabilitation services, and establish MTRH as a comprehensive stroke hub serving the region.
With every trained health worker, the message was clear: in the fight against stroke, the North Rift is no longer waiting, it is acting.
by Maurice Aluda
