• Operations are hampered by subsidised charges but charity has come in handy
• The Order of Malta has given Sh20m support, helping it reduce deaths to almost nil
Image: FELIX KIPKEMOI
Good Samaritan Catholic Mission Hospital has become a beacon of hope for the community in Baringo county.
It has grown from humble beginnings into a health centre with a state-of-the-art operation theatre and various medical professionals, including a resident doctor, an anaesthetist, a records management officer, nurses and pharmacists.
“Twenty years ago, we started with one nurse and a mobile outreach facility,” Fr Timothy Mutie of Holy Ghost Fathers said during an interview.
"We have since grown from a dispensary to a level 4 hospital. In fact, the nearest such facility is about 70km away in Marigat."
Among other achievements at the health facility are a diagnostic laboratory and an ambulance.
Step by step, it is marching towards providing holistic health, education and spiritual nourishment to the community.
However, despite the positive strides, the facility is facing monumental challenges to meeting its mandate.
For starters, despite power cables passing through its compound, it has no access to electricity.
“We have to rely on a generator, which is very expensive to maintain, and solar energy, which sometimes is unreliable,” Mutie said.
Multiple efforts to get local authorities to act on the power connection have been in vain.
“It is frustrating when we have patients in the wards and our medics have to monitor their progress using torches and oil lamps due to lack of electricity. Sometimes our generator runs out of fuel,” he said.
The hospital is also facing challenges in paying wages and salaries to the staff.
“Our staff salaries are paid from the subsidised charges at the hospital, which sometimes is not enough,” Mutie said.
“We need to have them absorbed by the county government so we can pay their dues as they serve the community.”
The hospital needs an ultrasound machine for obstetric scans, blood and blood products that are a requirement for Caesarean section and two extra C-section sets and theatres.
It also needs attire such as scrubs, boots and aprons. Others needs are a blood bank fridge, at least four oxygen cylinders, a fully equipped ambulance for patient transportation and a radiology department fully kitted to offer wholesome services.
TIMELY SUPPORT
In the midst of these challenges, a noble order emerged as a guardian angel for the hospital and its patients — the Order of Malta.
With a heart overflowing with compassion and a mission to alleviate suffering wherever it may be found, the Order of Malta extended its hand to support the Catholic Mission Hospital in Tangulbei.
“Their assistance was nothing short of miraculous. With their generous donations, the hospital was able to acquire much-needed medical equipment, including state-of-the-art operation theatre machines that continue to save countless lives,” Mutie said.
“They also provided funds for the construction of essential infrastructure, ensuring that the hospital could continue to serve its community for years to come.”
Before the support from the Order of Malta, which totals Sh20 million, the hospital was losing three lives monthly.
Since the completion of the theatre, the hospital has lost one life in the last eight months, an extraordinary success rate.
But, perhaps most importantly, the Order of Malta recognised the critical need for a blood bank fridge at the hospital, a lifeline for patients suffering from anaemia and gunshot wounds.
With a capacity of 60 litres, the blood bank fridge became a symbol of hope for those in need of urgent medical care.
In addition to their tangible contributions, the Order of Malta also supplied the hospital with essential drugs and medications worth more than Sh800,000, ensuring that patients have access to the treatment they desperately needed.
But beyond the physical support they provided, the Order of Malta embodied a noble mission: to ensure the safe delivery of children and to support healthcare and compassion missions throughout the world.
Their presence at the Catholic Mission Hospital in Tangulbei was a testament to their unwavering commitment to serving those in need, regardless of race, religion or circumstance.
And so, thanks to the generosity and compassion of the Order of Malta, the Catholic Mission Hospital in Tangulbei shines brightly as a beacon of hope and healing in the heart of Baringo county
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) is a Catholic lay religious order traditionally of a militaristic, chivalric and noble nature.
It is officially called the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, commonly known as the Order of Malta or Knights of Malta.
Though it possesses no territory, the order is often considered a sovereign entity under international law.
The order claims continuity with the Knights Hospitaller, a chivalric order that was founded about 1099 by the Blessed Gerard in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.