I spoke with HIV-positive patients, adults and children, at the Mgabathi Hospital clinic that offers prevention education, counseling, and medical care -- including distributing life-saving HIV-AIDS treatment.
We’re concentrating intensely on health issues in Kenya.
President Obama’s ground-breaking Global Health Initiative (GHI), which is soon to be rolled out in 10 countries, is getting under way here. Yesterday, we met with interagency colleagues and USAID mission staff from across Africa and dug into the details on important implementing issues. It was a great opportunity to build on the collective experience and knowledge across agencies and missions, and to apply lessons learned to GHI.
This morning I visited Mbagathi Hospital, a Kenyan health facility that USAID has supported for the past two years.
Mbagathi is one of Nairobi’s busiest hospitals, located on the edge of Kibera, Africa’s largest slum. They’re offering integrated health services for nearly 9800 HIV patients, supporting the supply of critical life-saving HIV treatment; nutrition education and commodities; family planning; and direct support, including staff training and salaries, laboratory reagents and community outreach. This kind of service integration is at the heart of the GHI.
As the Washington, DC-based AED Project Director for the USAID Kenya Nutrition and HIV Program (NHP), I want to express my gratitude for your visit to Mbagathi Hospital. The staff there and on NHP work hard every day to meet the nutrition support needs of HIV-positive individuals and OVCs. In addition to providing a boost to project and health facility staff (not to mention the patients), your visit helped shine a light on the critical role of nutrition as an essential component to effective HIV care, treatment, and support. Thank you this and for your visit.
Nancy Nachbar
Senior Project Director
Center for Private Sector Health Initiatives
AED
As part of the USAID-funded AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA II Nairobi) project, I was at the facility during Dr Shah’s visit. The fact that the Administrator is a medical doctor by profession was ideal in helping him understand the challenges of both the medical and public health sectors in Kenya. In addition, I see Dr Shah as a key person in President Obama’s Global Health Initiative as he can empathize with the state of the health sector in a developing country like Kenya.
Through a five-year cooperative agreement, Pathfinder International implements the APHIA II project in Nairobi. The project collaborates with the Government of Kenya and local implementing partners to expand the availability of quality, sustainable, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis prevention, treatment, care and support, along with integrated reproductive health and family planning services. In addition to increasing access to the use of services, the project also promotes healthy behaviors among the most at-risk Kenyans.
Stephen Ndegwa
Communication Officer
Pathfinder International
Nairobi, Kenya
As a former Medical Laboratory student intern at Mbagathi District Hospital, I must congratulate you for your great support to that Hospital. The fact that Mbagathi District Hospital is next to Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, clearly indicates the high number of poor patients visiting that Hospital.
Continue with your great support and God bless you.