SAFARICOM FOUNDATION OPENS CHILDREN’S DIABETES MANAGEMENT CENTRE AT GARISSA

 Garissa County Referral Hospital has officially opened its children’s diabetes management centre constructed and equipped by the Safaricom Foundation. The clinic which has been furnished with modern equipment for diabetes detection and management will provide services to residents of Garissa, Kitui, Tana River, Isiolo and Wajir Counties. The foundation invested Kshs. 12 million in constructing and equipping the clinic as part of its Children with Diabetes programme launched in 2019.

“Our diabetes programme has reached over 50,000 community members in all the seven sub-counties of Garissa including over four hundred children who now know their diabetes status through our interventions which include regular screening and medical camps”, said Barrak Odero, trustee, Safaricom Foundation.The three 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 twenty one years.  It   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 consists 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% being  unaware .  It is estimated that the number of children living with diabetes is increasing at a rate of 3.5 % annually.