Posts

Recognizing the difficulties experienced by visually impaired individuals in accessing healthcare, HealthX Africa in collaboration with accelerateUHC and the Kenya Union of the Blind are actively stepping in to onboard and provide comprehensive healthcare support to members of the
Kirinyaga Branch using HealthX Africa’s telehealth services.

People living with disabilities in Kenya confront significant challenges in accessing healthcare. The 2019 census reveals that 2.2% of Kenyans live with disabilities, with mobility disabilities comprising 28.6% of this group. Visual, hearing, and communication-related impairments disproportionately affect women (57.5%) and those in rural areas (80%). While Kenya has established robust policy frameworks to address health equity disparities, translating these policies into tangible solutions remains challenging.

Shockingly, one in two people with disabilities cannot access healthcare, leading to a disease burden nearly 10% higher than the general population.

These statistics were recently brought to life during a needs assessment done by the Kenya Union for the Blind. It was discovered that members of the Kirinyaga Branch encounter obstacles in movement, leading to higher logistics costs and delays in seeking healthcare. Many members require guides to attend hospitals, and when guides are unavailable, some choose to postpone healthcare visits.

“For Kenya to achieve universal health coverage we must cater to individuals that have traditionally been excluded from the healthcare landscape,” HealthX Africa’s CEO, Roy Bore said, “Using digital innovations like telehealth will allow us to be a step closer in making inclusive healthcare a reality.”

Recognizing the transformative potential of telehealth in achieving universal health coverage, HealthX with accelerateUHC, a project of RaHa Solutions, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), and the Adventist Development & Relief Agency (ADRA), has committed to providing telehealth services to this community. HealthX Africa emphasizes the importance of leveraging technology to create an inclusive and equitable healthcare system. Telemedicine has proven globally to reduce costs, enhance access to providers, and mitigate barriers such as transportation expenses, especially crucial during pandemics.

With this premise, the Kenya Union of the Blind, Kirinyaga Branch members, will have access to comprehensive telehealth services that will encompass unlimited virtual doctor consultations, nutrition counseling, and counseling psychology through the toll-free number. Furthermore, the County government of Kirinyaga has pledged to assist the people with disability with the Governor H.E Anne Waiguru declaring her commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusivity to ensure no part of the society is left behind.

“It is our priority to ensure that Universal health coverage is a reality for all Kenyans, and this project is the first step in creating an inclusive healthcare system,” said accelerateUHC’s Liason person, Kadu Titi.

HealthX Africa is intentional in working with and learning from organizations representing and advocating for the health and rights of people with disabilities and adapting and improving HealthX telemedicine systems and services to meet the needs and preferences of Kenyans living with different disabilities.

John Muriuki, the Chairperson of the Kenya Union of the Blind, appreciated the medical support, saying this is an opportunity given to them to be able to access primary healthcare, especially through their phone. He said: “As a community, we face many challenges. When visiting the hospital, someone has to take you, thus making it difficult for your privacy and mental wellness, with a guide who is probably your relative sitting next to you in some instances. If the guide is not available, we do not go to the hospital. The possibility of accessing a doctor through our own phones without having to buy airtime is the surest way of ensuring universal access to health support. I request accelerateUHC to extend support to all the members of the Kirinyaga Branch, who are 327 members with visual impairments. We appreciate the support of 50 members, but I am appealing for your support to cover all the members. We also request your support for medicine, which will go a long way in ensuring easy and equal access to health”.

“HealthX has given people a medical access card with security features that will be used by people with visual challenges,” Muriuki added.

Through toll free calls, the visually handicapped have also started to get free medical services, which include prescribed medicine.

Please crowd point (add points) for them HERE — once the services start, they continue for as long as crowd pointing continues.

#accelerateUHC 

A good community health worker / volunteer, Jane Njambi Mbare, nominates Michael Wanyoro Wanjohi (in photo) for free medical services. Michael is in Muiringo village, nearest to Muiri Shopping Center, Gatukuyu town, Gatundu North sub-county, Kiambu County.

Sr. Refnata Alfred is proposed to be the closest nurse who can be paid to visit and serve Michael on demand.

Michael was physically stable until 2020 when he became unable to provide for his family. The wife was psychologically affected and later died. Michael was left alone lacking basic needs and in year 2021 was affected with jiggers which has led to his health deterioration.

He has bowel incontinence after unknown villagers sodomised him.

He has no livelihood leading to malnourishment. He relies on good Samaritans for basics for survival.

This form is now on social media, where you may answer the questions by Posts, Replies, Comments, Messages, Inbox etc.

Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Nurses go to ADRA Kenya Website and ‘Become ADRA’s paid Volunteers or Interns’ to accelerateUHC.

They nominate people for medical cover or ‘vote’ for people that have already been nominated. A typical CHW (Mary, for example), who is an adult with minimum high school education, uses her tablet or smartphone to nominate a person (Tom, for example) for medical cover. During the on-line nomination, Mary lists 11 members of Tom’s extended family.

Whenever Tom and or any member of his extended family gets sick, they walk to any of clinics or hospitals in a long list of medical service providers. In the event that none of the clinics or hospitals is a walking distance away from Tom’s home, the ADRA Volunteers enable Tom to be served virtually.

From pharmacies, the volunteers also bring Tom medicine that is prescribed during the virtual service.

For each of such services, the volunteers and or interns are paid.  

They are paid also whenever they distribute reusable sanitary towels to girls after gathering the girls and chatting with the girls about the towels.

They are also paid for keeping toilets clean at all times. Toilet cleaning may also involve gathering villagers, chatting with villagers about cleanliness and urging the villagers to clean the toilets for pay, especially where the toilets are on road sides.

Universal Health Care or UHC, which Kenya as a nation is envisioning, is not just about health care financing and access to health facilities. It encompasses many other components, including human resource, communication networks, technologies, information systems, quality assurance mechanisms, governance and legislation. It also includes the less thought-about activities such as rainwater harvesting, use of toilets, sanitary towels, and so on.

As often said, and as evident in these times of the corona virus pandemic, water and sanitation are critical for preventive health care, which is an important aspect of UHC. Therefore, to accelerateUHC in Kavililo Village, Kitui County, Ms Grace Mueni Nyaa had to start by nominating the village for water borehole drilling and water pump installation.

In return, Kavililo got a water borehole and a water pump.

Before then, water was so scarce in the village that Grace herself would load her car with jerrycans of water whenever she drove to the village. Some members of the community had to walk 12 hours for a single round trip to collect water. 

To accelerateUHC in a village you care about, you would start differently. Mr. Peter Mutua, a good gardener in Nairobi, started by self-nominating for toilet and his family got a toilet (in photo).

Before getting the toilet, Peter didn’t know whether to pay school fees for his children or to have his family members continue begging to use neighbours’ toilets.

Villages without toilets also get toilets, which are built in schools and on sides of busy roads within the villages. Toilets on roads sides also serve travellers that use the roads.

You could start to accelerateUHC with medical cover. Beneficiaries of medical covers do not have to travel to hospitals and pharmacies. Community Healthworkers (CHWs) are paid whenever they work virtually with selected doctors and hospitals to serve beneficiaries in rural areas. where hospitals and clinics are scarce.

Medical Cover beneficiaries get the usual in-patient and out-patient benefits. They also get services related to dental and optical care and maternity. Outpatient services start instantly, no waiting period. And villagers do not co-pay for in-patient and out-patient services.

You could start to accelerateUHC with rainwater harvesting systems. The systems have water cleaning components and are fitted on large roofs like those in schools and churches. Where roofs are not suitable for the harvesting, start by cleaning rain water collected in earth dams and from roads.

You could also start with reusable sanitary towels, which help girls to finish schooling. The non-harmful chemicals used to make the towels antimicrobial do not leak out of the fabric during use/wash as the treatment is permanently bonded to the fabric. Since the towel kills germs, it is suitable for use in places where access to clean water is limited.

How to accelerateUHC

Currently, up to 11 people are selected weekly for medical cover. Additionally, one village or school is selected for rainwater harvesting systems, toilets or reusable sanitary towels.

Go to ADRA Kenya website and ‘Get Involved’, accelerateUHC by nominating the households and villages or schools that you care about for medical cover, towels, rainwater harvesting systems or reusable sanitary towels. You can nominate from anywhere in the world. While nominating, you share a photo representing your nominee.

After nominating, you invite your friends and relatives to go to the same website and ‘Get Involved” by voting for your nominee. They can vote from anywhere in the world. Voting is done by pointing with phone cameras at the photo representing the nominee — in other words, you and your friends and relatives crowd point at the photo in favour of your nominee.

Your nominee gets what you nominate them for on the calendar week when crowd pointing in their favour is higher than crowd pointing in favour of any other nominees. 

The crowd pointing determines when, not if, your nominee gets what you nominate them for. The crowd pointing makes the weekly selection fair. For beneficiaries of medical cover, the pointing also ensures regular renewal of medical coverage.

You can also point at advert(s) in page 2 of this infomercial, related organisations accelerateUHC with their print adverts. Organisations accelerateUHC by having their adverts made point-able so that you may have a lot more than photos to point at. You could also point at logos that you see frequently, on products you purchase, on receipts you get during purchasing, on the packaging you dispose of, on phone screens, on notepads, business cards, stickers, vouchers, and so on. 

Mr. Walubengoh nominates for toilets St. John’s Primary school, Kaloleni Estate, Nairobi.

See more details HERE.

Even with public health insurance available since 1966, only 20% of Kenyans have access to some sort of medical coverage. With the population at over 44 million and rising, it means that as many as 35 million Kenyans are excluded from quality health care –– such a story can be said about access to clean water, toilets and sanitary towels in all low-income countries & lower middle-income countries.

Therefore, from wherever you are (Asia, North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Africa and Antarctica, Zealandia), please nominate / select school(s) or village(s) that you care about for RaHa SystemsReusable Sanitary Towelsmedical cover and or toilets.

RaHa will give your nominee(s) / selectee(s) RaHa Systems (for the water-starved), Reusable Sanitary Towels (that also help girls finish school), medical cover (for those excluded from quality health care coverage) and or toilets (for the toilet-less).

Although nominating / selecting will make little difference to your day, it will unlock cash donation from corporations that want to Accelerate UHC, in favour of sebsequent nominees / selectees.

Click on ‘Accelerate UHC with Receipts… &c ’ and you will start by selecting and or nominating village(s) and school(s).



Nominees / selectees get medical covers, premiums for which RaHa Solutions pay. From advert below, you see that nominees (in Kenya) currently get 2 types of medical cover, one called ‘WoteAfya’ and the other is called ‘AfyaPoa’. We are looking for similar medical cover in / for other countries.







Nominees / selectees also get reusable sanitary towels







From advert below, you see that nominees / selectees get Sanitrax toilets, which are useable once every 2 minutes.







Nominees / selectees also get Rainwater Harvesting Systems (RaHa Systems), one of which consists of a gutter system, a Zincalume steel water storage tank, a rainwater filter, a leaf separator, a down pipe with calm intake and associated skilled labour –– where rainfall is scarce, nominees get equipped boreholes.







Nominees / selectees have started getting UHC. From informercial below, you can see some beneficiaries. Click on the informercial to read it more easily.





Portfolio Items