COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM OF FREE HEALTH SERVICES AND TREATMENT FOR THE NEEDY FAMILIES
Gobweyn, Qaam-Qaam, Istanbul, New Kismayo, Dara-Salam, Burashadley and the near areas, North and South Kismayo City, are not an easy place to live or work. Many of the communities that Kismayo University serves across Jubbaland are very, very remote. In order to make sure these people get the health care they so desperately need, Kismayo University regularly operates a mobile clinic at above mentioned areas (a two hour drive away from the nearest Kismayo University Campus).
Kismayo University mobile clinics are designed to confront the particular health challenges faced by the community it is operating in. In the wake of the 2018 drought, wars and the extreme food shortages that hit the people of these areas, KU served these communities by providing nutrition foods, as well as vaccinations to protect people against diseases like measles, polio and diphtheria. KU also implemented medical examinations and treatment for the needy people in these areas.
KU medical outreach program targets children under 15, as their vulnerability to malnutrition and disease is particularly acute. In addition to their treatment and examination, the children’s mothers are given nutrition substitutes which they will feed to the children. The children are also weighed and measured to check for immediate signs of malnutrition.
This outreach program is implemented twice in each semester by Doctors, medical experts, and University health science students and among, not least, of the implemented objectives are: 1. 30 health facilities have been supplied with essential drugs & medical consumables mainly for emergency response and preparedness from December, 2018 to April, 2019. 2. 5,123 beneficiaries were treated for various illnesses in the project. 3. On-the-job training on rational use of drugs and for improving quality of health care is being provided to outreach students’ teams.
We thank Towfiq Welfare Society that has made this story a success by contributing the finance and logistics of the program. We also thank Jubbaland Ministry of Health for their relentless help and guidance during and before the implementation of the program.
