The Kenyan government only has so many resources to help their people. The people of many remote villages are not able to receive care for several reasons. The most pressing concern is lack of funds. There are very few cars in most villages and the only way to get go in town is to walk or get a ride in a taxi or bus. The average person may not have funds to get to town, pay to be seen by a doctor, and get a ride back home. Unfortunately, there are people dying because of the lack of healthcare services in the "bush". KMO brings team members to these remote areas so that ordinary, everyday people can receive treatment. Healthcare teams are lead by trained professionals in their respective fields but KMO also brings along teachers, accountants, builders, and anyone else willing to lend a hand and serve.
KMO has had family practitioners, plastic surgeons, ER specialists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and paramedics complete their medical team. Every year the basic needs are the same. Team members encounter patients suffering from diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, TB, malaria, and pneumonia. Team members work with local translators to determine the needs of each patient. From there, the basic needs of the patient are typically met. However, every year KMO comes across a patient that requires more serious care than what we can provide in the field and we facilitate the transfer of the patient to a regional hospital. Over the years KMO has treated patients with Rheumatic Fever, TB isolated in the vocal cords, optic nerve, and sinuses, severe malaria, brucellosis, cancer, and emergency childbirths. A life has been saved every trip.
2008 the medical team saw over 800 patients.
2009 the medical team saw over 1,000 patients.
The dental team is comprised of dentists, dental students, dental hygienists, and dental assistants. Toothbrushes and toothpaste are typically unavailable to the majority of KMO's communities. The lack of professional dental care in these regions offers a unique challenge for visiting mission dental teams. Because the lack of dental care and education, the majority of the patients the team treats need extraction of teeth that are seriously carious or periodontally non-salvageable. KMO utilizes two portable dental units, which allow the doctors to perform fillings and cleanings. In June of 2009, the dental team extracted teeth including impacted third molars, cleaned teeth, filled cavities, removed mass calcifications, and performed frenectomies.
2008: The dental team saw over 400 patients and removed 550 teeth.
2009: The dental team saw over 500 patients and removed over 800 teeth.
