Safaricom Foundation Opens Children’s Diabetes Management Centre At Garissa County Referral Hospital

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 KES 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 7 sub-counties of Garissa including over 400 children who now know their diabetes status through our interventions which include regular screening and medical camps”, said Barrak Odero, Trustee, Safaricom Foundation.

The 3-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 21 years and focuses on addressing early detection, comprehensive care and health care system strengthening as well setting up model child-friendly diabetes clinics.

The World Health Organisation estimates that 26% of bed occupancy in hospitals in Kenya consist 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% of whom are unaware while It is estimated that the number of children living with diabetes is increasing at a rate of 3.5 % annually.