Inspiration
10 years , there has been an average of 9,741 reported road accidents in Kenya annually . From these , a repeated average number of over 3,000 people have been killed annually .
KNBS also reveal that on average , 17,000 people are injured in accidents every year for the past 10 years . Of those , half are serious or permanent injuries , translating to one person being permanently disabled every hours .
Esther is just but one of the many who fall in this figure . She is currently receiving treatment at AIC Cure Kijabe Hospital where treatments for injuries from upper to lower limbs , spine and other orthopedic conditions are managed .
She underwent surgery to fix her broken pelvic bone where specific screws were inserted in the pelvic to stabilise it .
“ After the operation , she was able to undergo further evaluation and treatment of the urethral injury ( urine tube ). After treatment we were able to remove the catheter and she is now healed . She is currently able to walk with the aid of crutches . The pelvic bone that was fixed is healing well and she can pass urine too ,” said Dr Francis Mbugua – Orthopedic and Arthroscopic surgeon at AIC Cure Kijabe Hospital .
Dr Mbugua is , however , concerned that there remains an issue with the reproductive system of Esther after the injury which still needs to be treated by a gynecologist .
But all is not lost ; there is still hope for people like Esther .
There are a number of organisations that offer help and rehabilitation services to persons with disability ( PWD ) in Kenya , both the private sector and the government .
National Council for Persons with Disabilities ( NCPWD ) is one such state corporation . One of their priority areas is the cash transfer for PWDs , provision of assistive devices , economic empowerment , education and necessary infrastructure for PWD .
Association for the Physically Disabled Kenya ( APDK ) is also one such organisation that offers rehabilitation
services to persons with different abilities . APDK offers both physiotherapy and occupational therapy to adults . They also assemble orthopedic appliances such as crutches , calipers , wheelchairs , tricycles , and surgical boots among others .
Various campaigns have also been launched aiming at providing assistive devices for accident survivors awaiting surgical interventions and counseling to survivors of road accidents who need it .
One such campaign is the “ Linda Maisha-Zuia Ulemavu ” ( Protect Life- Prevent Disability ) that seeks to highlight and mitigate against road carnage as a cause of disability with a view to change road usage behavior .
KNH corporate affairs and communications manager , Simon Ithai said that the hospital is over-stretched in terms of the number of RTA patients they admit daily .
Mr Ithai said that it is unfortunate that a ward that is supposed to have 32 patients may sometimes have even 90 patients .
He adds that the length of stay for RTA victims is usually between three months and over a year depending on the seriousness of the injuries .
“ Out of the 20 patients we admit daily , at least five will require Intensive
Care Unit or High Dependency Unit where one will have to spend between Sh35,000 to Sh40,000 a day . The ward charges are Sh3,000 per day ,” said Mr Ithai .
He further said that the cost of treatment from the time of admission may cost between Sh200,000 to Sh , 3 million because RTA victims sometimes suffer multiple injuries in different parts of the body where each treatment requires a specialized doctor depending in their area of specialisation .
He laments that majority of these patients are poor and mostly do not have a sustainable income , are not insured and are not covered by National Hospital Insurance Fund ( NHIF ), thereby leaving the hospital with accrued bills that sometimes go unpaid .
Ithai said that almost 95 per cent of RTA victims do not pay any amounts on admission . Even the general opening of a file is usually on credit . The hospital usually requests money on treatment only .
APDK vice chair Lumbi Wa M ’ Nabea said that it is unfortunate that the most people prone to accidents are in the age bracket of 19-40 , which is the most productive age group .
Whenever a road accident is
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