Amilema
Amilema’s 20-year-old clinic is so dilapidated that the roof is about to cave in and the walls are so cracked that the nurses and other health workers dispense medicine from the shade of a nearby tree.
Even though the renovation attempts are visible from the fresh plastering on the walls, the building is clearly disintegrating.
Amilema is situated 26 kilometres west of Omuthiya.
The community poured out their hearts in their request for a new clinic during the meeting with the Constituency Councillor of Omuthiya, Samuel Shivute. The councillor met to discuss challenges facing the community.
“The clinic needs an upgrade and we are still waiting to hear whether the request will be granted as we applied for a new clinic three years ago,” said one health worker. The other complaint is that the dilapidated clinic poses serious health risks especially in spreading contagious diseases such as TB.
The clinic serves about 8 088 people from the nearby 17 villages.
The community pointed out that the poor state of the building compromises the privacy of patients, as health workers are forced to operate from one part of the building which is deemed safer – where they examine patients and issue medicine.
The health workers requested from Shivute that they be given a tent that could be used as a shade by the patients when they wait for assistance.
The community also told the councillor of their need for a police station as they have experienced a number of rape cases, many of which go unreported.
Councillor Shivute advised the community to put their proposals in writing for the office to formally facilitate their proposal with the government.
“I will take up all the issues raised – especially the one of the upgrade of the clinic will be prioritised because it’s pertinent in providing good services to the people,” he said.
The community said the headman has already availed land for the new clinic, and all they would require is simply onstruction of the clinic.