The Voi town centre will help patients suffering from Aids, dementia, lung, kidney, heart and liver illnesses.
Patients in Taita Taveta can now access palliative care services within the county following the opening of a new hospice in Voi town.
Most hospices in Kenya are located in major urban centres, forcing rural patients to languish in pain at home or in hospitals.
There are 70 hospices in Kenya to cater for a high number of patients burdened by dementia, HIV/Aids and cancer among other diseases. Out of the 70, only two cater for inpatients.
The centre will help patients suffering from HIV/Aids, dementia, illnesses of the lung, kidney, heart and liver as well as neurological conditions.
Coast hospice programme manager Eric Ochieng’ said Taita Taveta has high new cancer cases, coming second to Kilifi. About 50 per cent of patients who seek services at the Mombasa Hospice, housed at the Coast General Hospital premises, come from Kilifi, he said.
“In a day we see 10 to12 patients and the numbers keep on rising,” Dr Ochieng said, adding that the centre will reduce Taita Taveta patients’ agony and expenses of travelling to Mombasa or Nairobi in search of palliative care services.
The facility, located at the Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi town, will serve over 200 people.
Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA) head of advocacy Asaph Kinyanjui said that palliative services start from the point of diagnosis and are not limited to the end-of-life.
“We work closely with the Ministry of Health and county governments to ensure that these services are closer to the people,” Mr Kinyanjui said.
Faustine Mghendi, a board member of the hospice, said the centre will also carry out home and ward visits to reach more patients.
“We will also train community health workers who will be helping us with identifying those who need palliative care,” Mr Mghendi said.
He said the centre will also conduct nutrition awareness programmes to sensitise local people on the importance of good eating habits.
The new hospice comes as a boost to KEHPCA, which advocates for patients’ increased access to palliative care.
Kenya held a palliative care conference in Nairobi last week.
The event attracted hospice founders and experts from the region.
The experts have been pushing for inclusion of palliative care in the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme, including ensuring that all patients have access to oral and injectable morphine for pain relief.
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