@CeoKnh @KNH_hospital
http://www.knh.or.ke
NEWSLINE We Listen, We Care
Issue 10.
21/5/2021
The unsung Heroes in Sports KNH’s hand in Kenya’s medal haul in International Sporting events…
By Ngure Jacqueline
I
f there are moments that unite Kenyans, sporting events are high up the ladder. There are no words that can describe the pride and joy when our sportsmen and women cross the finish line, bagging gold medals and setting new world records.
Kenyatta National Hospital
Or the overwhelming patriotic feeling when the National Anthem is played in various stadia across the globe. It’s exhilarating, to say the least. But who takes care of these champions’ well-being? Ever wondered..? Well, for a long time now, medics at Kenyatta National Hospital have been part of a larger
1.
team that ensures our athletes are in good shape, they eat right, and their overall health is taken care of, before during, and after these international sports events. Newsline Interviewed Emily Koskey, a physiotherapist, and Mercy Barwecho, a nutritionist, both KNH staff who have walked the journey with our champions and theirs is more
Youtube: Kenyatta National Hospital Official Page
@CeoKnh @KNH_hospital
http://www.knh.or.ke
Emily Koskey assessing an athlete during training
than just a story, it’s an experience. We caught up with Ms. Kosgey just before she traveled to Poland for the World Relays Olympics Qualifiers in preparation for Tokyo Olympics to be held in Japan, later this year. According to her, different specialists submit their names to the federations that oversee the selection of the people who get to accompany the teams in various capacities. “The fact that we work in the National Referral hospital, gives us an edge over the rest. Athletics Kenya has such trust and confidence in our expertise and ability to cater to the needs of the National Team,” she says. Once the selection is done, the work begins. From the grassroots to the National level, the various specialists set up camp to interact with the teams to ensure they are fit to compete internationally. The physiotherapist’s role in the journey includes injury assessment during training, fatigue and lactic acid treatment after hard training, soft tissue manipulation for their sore muscles and massages. “When an athlete comes to you complaining of pain in their hamstring, you have to assess whether it’s a tear, or is it fatigue, and based on that give the coach the relevant advice. Coaches depend on our advice to make key decisions on the way forward for the teams” Ms. Kosgey adds. For Mercy Barwecho in her role as the team nutritionist, proper nutrition is key in providing the fuel for physical activity; facilitating the repair and
Kenyatta National Hospital
building process following hard physical work, and achieve athletic performance, while also promoting overall health and wellness. “The basic concept for sports nutrition for athletes requires proper eating strategies and need to have a command of general nutrition as well as exercise science,” says Ms. Barwecho. The second step is to gain the knowledge of how nutrition and exercise science are intertwined, emphasize that physical training and dietary habits are reliant on each other to produce optimal performance. The final step is the practical application of sports nutrition knowledge to the individual athlete. “It is our duty therefore to give the best services in Nutrition assessment, timely intervention, continuous education, and monitoring & evaluation of the athletes’ diet plan,” notes Ms. Barwecho. The nutritionist describes her experience in Gold Coast, Australia when she traveled with the Olympics team in 2018, as simply exciting. For both Mercy & Emily, walking that journey with our champions is both an honor and a patriotic duty, which they do wholeheartedly. They are more than grateful to the KNH management for facilitating their release whenever they are called upon to travel with the champions. Mercy Barwecho, a nutritionist in KNH.
2.
Youtube: Kenyatta National Hospital Official Page
@CeoKnh @KNH_hospital
http://www.knh.or.ke
Passionate Midwife’s journey to the apex as Incoming acting Director Nursing services
By Dave Opiyo Mention the word ‘midwife’ and Raheli Mukhwana’s face lights up. This is the life she has known for the more than 20 years she has been practicing at Kenyatta National Hospital and has many a time introduced herself as a ‘midwife by birth.’ “I love receiving new life into this world,” she tells Newsline as we settle in for an interview.“When a baby comes to this world, there is always joy written all over…there’s just something about babies that attracts me towards them,” she says. It is this same passion she intends to employ in her new posting as the Ag. Director of Nursing Services. Mrs. Muhkwana replaces Judith Mugambi, who has been seconded to the Ministry of Health. Some of her new roles include the formulation, review, and interpretation of KNH healthcare policies relating to nursing services, ensure compliance to Nursing statutory and regulatory requirements, facilitating the development and review of training programs for nurses in the hospital. Her appointment to her new position did not come as a surprise to her. But despite this, she says she is equal to the huge task bestowed on her. “I was really surprised and wondered why I had been selected to occupy the office. But as the message sank, I told myself that I was up to the task and this is exactly what I am going to do,” she says. As the head of the more than 2,000 nurses in the hospital, Mrs. Mukhwana’s plate is full.“I’m very fortunate to have been on the ground. So I know what’s there. I know what nurses want – they first need recognition, which we will do,” she says. “We as a hospital spend a lot to train them. We want to ensure that they are adequately recognized because it is through this they will get the best out of them,” she says. Mrs. Mukhwana’s rise to the top
Kenyatta National Hospital
has not been without struggle, having joined the hospital in 1997 as a Nursing Officer III and rising through the ranks to her current position. Before joining the hospital, she had studied and started practicing secretarial but, her ambition was always to be a nurse. She did not, however, rest on her laurels and was determined to realize this dream. In an interview with Newsline, Mrs. Mukhwana says she applied for a slot at the Kenya Medical Training College in September 1993 and gained admission. “It was a joy for me to say the least because this is what I wanted. I registered for Diploma in Kenya Registered Community Health Nursing, did the course, and passed. I was then fortunate enough to be employed at KNH,” she says. Having a diploma, she says, was not the end of her quest to acquire more knowledge in the nursing field. “So I got an opportunity to do my degree at the University of East Africa – Baraton. Completed the course and later on undertook her Master’s in Public Reproductive Health. My passion has always been in Midwifery,” she explains. “In between, I happened to be selected as a Nurse Midwife working in Obs and Gnae to proceed in Lund University in Sweden to pursue a Diploma in Sexual Reproductive Health. This is where I developed my passion for maternal and child health,” she says. She explains that when she returned to the country, as part of a team of two Midwives and two Obstetricians, they were itching to implement what they had learned abroad. “We were now students of evidencebased care because we realized, during our stay in Sweden, that it was beneficial to our patients,” she says. At that time, a lot of patients coming to seek their services at KNH suffered from Pre- Eclampsia, and Eclampsia, which in other words can be described as hypertensive illnesses during pregnancy. “Most of them would have very bad
3.
outcomes. They would either lose the baby or go to Intensive Care because people were scared of administering Magnesium Sulphate which is a very good drug in reducing seizures or convulsions of these women,” she says. “We undertook a study and realized a majority of our patients were getting sub-optimal doses of this drug. With the evidence we had from Sweden, we convinced the Obs and Gnae managers on the importance of giving this in the right doses. We were then to report after three months.” “We, later on, found out that all women who were given the correct doses of the drug had better outcomes. They would not convulse. We were able to get the babies out early. Following these outcomes, we made this treatment a standard procedure. We are proud of this,” she says. This treatment protocol, she adds, has now been adopted nationally in the management of Obstetric emergencies in the country. This, she says, was one of her major success stories. Apart from practicing Nursing, Mrs. Mukwana also wears many hats. She is a member of the Confidential Inquiry into Maternal Deaths, a national committee that looks at preventing the problem of maternal deaths across the country. She also serves as the Secretary to the Maternal Mortality Committee at the Hospital, a member of the National Association of Nursing as well as a member of the Midwives Association of Kenya. She is further the Treasurer of the African Midwives Research Network. This is a group of Midwives from six African countries, supported by the university of Manchester, that mainly researches various issues affecting the Midwifery profession, to come up with best practices. She has also published numerous papers on various topics in the Midwifery field.
Youtube: Kenyatta National Hospital Official Page
@CeoKnh @KNH_hospital
http://www.knh.or.ke
Abandoned!
Helping hand for the young and forsaken - A story about the Abandoned Children of KNH
By Yvonne Gichuru Collins* (not his real name) was abandoned within the Kenyatta National Hospital immediately after birth. He was picked up by a security guard on duty and was brought to the hospital for specialized care. Doctors at the facility, on examination, realized that little Moses had a colostomy - a surgical procedure that creates an opening in the large intestine. They realized the child had a birth defect, which blocked his anal opening as it had not been properly formed during birth. He was treated and has now gone back to passing stool normally. But even though he is now free to go home, he has no home to go to. The hospital, at the moment, is however where he calls home. Sharon*, on the other hand, was discovered dumped in an openpit latrine in Mukuru Kayaba slums located in Nairobi by wellwishers. She was immediately brought to KNH by Okoa Ambulance – a trailer that can be attached to any motorcycle transforming it to an ambulance used to help transport patients to a healthcare facility.
Kenyatta National Hospital
Doctors at the facility conducted quick medical tests where she was diagnosed with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which occurs when fluid builds up in the tiny, elastic air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs. Sharon was immediately moved to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and is currently receiving medical care as the hospital is working round the clock to find her a new home. These are just a few of the many unlucky children who have been abandoned here at KNH by their kin. Child abandonment occurs when a parent, guardian, or any person in charge of a child either deserts a child without any regard for the child’s physical health, safety, or welfare and wholly leaves the child, or in some instances, failing to provide necessary protection for a child under their care. According to Ms. Milka Ontita, a Senior Medical Social Worker, KNH takes in between 60 – 70 abandoned children every year and about 6 to 7 children in a month. “There are those who are picked outside KNH while others remain with us in the hospital after their parents abscond and leave them behind,” she tells Newsline. Leah Cheruto, a Medical Social
4.
Worker – Ward 3B and Newborn Unit (NBU) says they have several cases where some mothers say that they cannot take care of their children, and therefore leave the babies in the Ward. They then give a go-ahead to do whatever the hospital desires with their babies. “In the NewBorn Unit (NBU), we have four abandoned patients: one boy and three girls. One of the girls is unknown/unidentified while the rest have names,” she adds. There are other healthy babies who are born to mothers with mental illnesses and the hospital is unable to find the next of kin who can take care of them so they end up in KNH’s care. “Sometimes you get a mother who has been taken to Mathari Hospital and the child is left here so you don’t know for how long that child is going to stay in KNH,” says Ms. Ontita. While abandoning a child typically involves physical abandonment, it may also include extreme cases of emotional abandonment. Unfortunately, abandoned children (also called “foundlings”) who do not get their needs often grow up with low self-esteem, emotional dependency, helplessness, and other issues. “The abandoned are admitted
Youtube: Kenyatta National Hospital Official Page
@CeoKnh @KNH_hospital
http://www.knh.or.ke
them away because these children are better off with their family than a children’s home. “It is every child’s right to have a family, and at KNH we provide them with that. We are their first families after they have been abandoned. We provide care and treatment as we find a home for them,” she concludes.
“
“The fate of a child is not sealed just because they are born with a defect. Correction can be done and they can lead normal lives.” Florence Muthui Pediatric Nurse, KNH
through different entry points in the hospital. They are received in the Wards and the nurses take it upon themselves to go an extra mile by providing daily nursing care, evaluating their needs, and administering treatments when prescribed. Some of them become exposed due to the long stay in hospital and may develop infections,” says Florence Muthui - a Senior Nursing Officer - Pediatrics, KNH. Primary causes of child abandonment include poverty or financial hardship, being a single parent, postnatal depression, mental illness and substance abuse, lack of sexual health education, poor knowledge concerning family planning, restrictions regarding access to abortion, the child having some form of disability or chronic illness, pregnancy as a result of rape or abuse. According to Ms. Muthui, the hospital provides psycho-social support and counseling to the mothers as well as basic needs through the Chaplaincy Unit. “We take care of their feeding needs, their hygiene including bathing them. Sometimes we get hospital supplies such as diapers and other donations from well-wishers including staff members. Some of these parents feel discouraged especially those that give birth to children with terminal illnesses and this helps them
Kenyatta National Hospital
accept their children and learn how to take care of them. The fate of a child is not sealed just because they are born with a defect. Correction can be done and they can lead normal lives. ” she says. Ms. Cheruto pointed out that even if you give birth to a child with a medical condition, y o u should n o t throw
5.
Youtube: Kenyatta National Hospital Official Page
@CeoKnh @KNH_hospital
http://www.knh.or.ke
Nurses: A Voice to lead, a vision for future healthcare By Susan Wakiuru When it comes to kindness, compassion, and care for others, nurses ought to be or are way ahead of most of us. They work long shifts doing those seemingly tiny, important tasks that keep us healthy, from basic observations to complicated, lifesaving maneuvers on critically ill patients daily. Nurses touch nearly every aspect of our health care system. International nurses’ week is a special week dedicated to honor and appreciate the contributions made by nurses and nursing to our world. This year’s theme is, “Nurses: A Voice to Lead - A vision for future healthcare.” The week seeks to show how the nursing profession will transform the next stage of healthcare. Kenyatta National Hospital-Othaya joins the rest of the world in marking the week by appreciating those working at the medical facility. “We are cognizant of the efforts that our nurses put into ensuring that we give the best care to our patients both collectively and individually especially during the covid-19 pandemic” notes KNH –Othaya Nurse Manager Mr. James Njogu. The nursing fraternity is facing an even greater staff shortage leading to longer working hours, deployment to unfamiliar environment which reduces productivity, dealing with more severely ill and dying patients, and often without the necessary Personal Protective Equipment. They are concerned about the risk of becoming infected themselves and
KNH-Othaya Accident and Emergency nurses all smiles as they pose for a photo in celebration of Nurses week.
“
about colleagues who are infected, while also worrying about their loved ones from whom they are often
“We are cognizant of the efforts that our nurses put into ensuring that we give the best care to our patients both collectively and individually especially during the covid-19 pandemic” KNH –Othaya Nurse Manager Mr. James Njogu.
Ag. Senior Director, KNH Othaya - Dr. Peter Muiruri cuts a cake with nurses to mark International Nurses Day.
Kenyatta National Hospital
6.
separated. Nurses need to stay healthy to continue caring for others. This means they need to practice self-care more than ever. Unmanaged stress affects the physical, emotional, and mental health – including the immune system. Eventually, it can lead to burnout and even post-traumatic stress syndrome. “As an oncologist nurse, there are numerous challenges we face while attending to our patients especially psychological ones. It is important for nurses to talk to someone to avoid burnouts,” says Rose Paskalia an Oncology Nurse at KNH -Othaya. The majority of people are going through periods of feeling heavyhearted in the light of the extreme life-changes and uncertainty we are experiencing due to Covid-19. Nurses on the frontline are under even more pressure. We encourage our nurses to feel free to let us know how best we can assist them in handling these pressures. “To all nurses out there, as we celebrate this Nurses’ week, walk the journey with your patients. Create a rapport with them and play an active role in reducing stigmatization of the patients. At the end of it all, enjoy every moment as tomorrow is not promised,” says Ms Paskalia.
Youtube: Kenyatta National Hospital Official Page
@CeoKnh @KNH_hospital
http://www.knh.or.ke
OUR STORY IN PICTURES
CEO, KNH Dr. Evanson Kamuri EBS and Dr. Weston Khisa, Chairman VVF Committee KNH discuss in preparation for International Day to End Obstretic Fistula
Dr. Tom Menge - Director AID, receives donation for newborn unit from the Department of Paediatric and Child Health UoN.
KNH Security and Safety staff and DCI after a joint security survey.
KPCC staff held a surprise party for Ag. Director KPCC Dr. John Ngigi as he celebrated his 51st birthday.
KNH VVF Commitee members and various partners involved in the organisation of celebration of International Day to End Obstretic Fistula during a visit by representatives from the office of the First Lady Her Excellency Margaret Kenyatta.
Public Health team in action ensure the hospital is clean.
Kenyatta National Hospital
7.
Youtube: Kenyatta National Hospital Official Page
@CeoKnh @KNH_hospital
http://www.knh.or.ke
World Hand Hygiene Day: Seconds Save Lives, Clean your hands! KNH-Othaya staff members demonstrate proper hand washing technique during the patient hand hygiene sensitization exercise.
By Marian Moraa and Vincent Mutua On May 5, 2021, the world came together to commemorate world hand hygiene day. On this day, the World Health Organization requests all stakeholders to “maintain global promotion, visibility and sustainability of hand hygiene in health care and to ‘bring people together in support of hand hygiene improvement around the world.” Thousands of people die every day around the world from infections acquired while receiving health care. Hands are the main pathways of germ transmission during health care. Hand hygiene has been of critical importance amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. This has been echoed by various health stakeholders who have called on everyone to practice hand hygiene as a means of Covid-19 prevention. Kenyatta National Hospital- Othaya (KNH-Othaya) prioritizes hand hygiene as the most important measure to avoid the transmission of harmful germs and prevent healthcareassociated infections. The hospital through the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Public Health Units regularly conducts a series of sensitization sessions to both staff and patients on proper handwashing steps. “Other than the conventional method of cleaning your hands using soap and water, a new and more convenient mode of taking care of
Kenyatta National Hospital
your hand hygiene has emerged in the form of sanitizers. However, people should exercise caution when using sanitizers,” says KNH-Othaya Public Health boss, Mr. Richard Omenge. “Do not let them take over hand washing. Wash your hands with soap and water when hands are visibly dirty or visibly soiled with blood or other body fluids or after using the toilet. If exposure to potential germs is strongly suspected or proven, including outbreaks, hand washing with soap and water is the preferred means” he advises. KNH-Othaya head of the IPC Unit, Mr. Gerald Muriithi concurs. He says; “ Any healthcare worker, caregiver or person involved in direct or indirect patient care needs to be concerned about hand hygiene and should be able to perform it correctly and at the right time.” Steps of proper handwashing 1. Wet your hands: Apply enough liquid soap to create a good lather. 2. Rub Palms Together: Rub your hands palm to palm in circular motions. Rotate clockwise and anticlockwise. 3. Rub the back of Hands: Rub your hands palm to palm in circular motions. Rotate clockwise and anticlockwise. 4. Interlink Your Fingers: Link your fingers together, facing each other, into clasped hands. Then rub your palms and fingers together. 5. Cup Your Fingers: Cup your fingers
8.
Patients at KNH-Othaya receive hand sanitizers in commemoration of world hand hygiene day. together, with your right hand over and your left hand under. With your fingers interlocked, rub the backs of them against your palms. Then swap. 6. Clean the thumbs: Enclose your right hand around your left thumb and rub as you rotate it, then swap. 7. Rub Palms with your fingers: Rub your fingers over your left palm in a circular motion, then swap. 8. Thoroughly rinse with warm running water and dry with a clean, disposable paper towel. Paper towels are the most hygienic way to dry your hands, but automatic hand dryers may also be used. Through proper hand hygiene practices, KNH -Othaya has been able to control the spread of bacteria and viruses that are infectious, and thus transmissible infections have decreased.
Youtube: Kenyatta National Hospital Official Page
@CeoKnh @KNH_hospital
http://www.knh.or.ke
COVID-19: The Deviant Conveyor of Change in the Healthcare System By Neema Mecheo With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and healthcare professionals globally have now been recognized as a vital force in not only ensuring healthcare safety but also the security and economic health of the nation. This pandemic is not a storm that we can just wait out hence the need for healthcare system preparedness and response planning to minimize the pandemic impact that has accelerated preexisting transitions. How the pandemic will change our national conversation on healthcare through legislation and practices is a debate that is yet to be concluded. The COVID-19 pandemic came upon the healthcare and global economy as a whole with incredible speed and enormous impact. Hospitals worldwide have and continue to see a decline in nonCOVID-19 admissions from February 2019 to date as focus shifts to COVID-19 patients with the most affected places being the cost centers. Kenyatta National Hospital wasn’t spared either. The Hospital saw a noticeable drop in the number of inpatient and outpatient numbers in the 2019/2020 financial year, with April having a noticeable decline in bed occupancy rate and the number of surgeries done. This resulted in an overstretch in the financial and human resource capacity that necessitated mitigation measures. An upending of the healthcare systems strategies to factor the ‘now’, ‘near’ and ‘far future’ outcomes as the Hospital adapted to the rapidly changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic was inevitable. The KNH ‘Now’ strategy had its focus on implementing short-term measures that devoted available resources to the response planning aimed at stopping community humanto-human transmission of the SARSCoV-2 virus. Mr. Job Makanga, the Director of Planning & Strategy states that an in-house critical buffer of supplies specifically around PPEs, ventilators, ventilator supplies, testing equipment, and reagents as well as facilitating the renovation and equipping of the Mbagathi RIDU to handle the
Kenyatta National Hospital
COVID-19 patients in the country were the pivotal measures. The daycare center was identified as a staff treatment and isolation facility for staff who contracted the virus, with testing of the virus kicking off immediately. One year after COVID-19 struck, the ‘Near’ post-pandemic future has a radical reconfiguration of the healthcare landscape. As an effect of the long economic shutdown, globally the major workforce reductions have seen a reduction in the payer mix leading to rea decrease in the number of patients seeking healthcare services that are not critical. With the pre-crisis financial reserves being depleted, hospitals and health systems have now seen the importance of integrated systems of care. Mr. Makanga points out that the KNH service integration through the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is underway. As part of the ‘Near’ post-pandemic future strategy, KNH has come up with measures to reduce service delivery Turn Around Time (TAT), sensitize staff on the virus through Zoom and Webinar meetings, and ensure regular fumigation of the Hospital. Capacity building for Doctors and Nurses on how to manage COVID-19 patients has been undertaken with the vaccination of staff and the public being undertaken. As a measure to strengthen service delivery on other diseases, the
9.
Hospital is looking into strengthening the health system and increasing capacity through the MTP III projects. The ‘far’ post-pandemic future will see minimal severity of the COVID-19 pandemic as healthcare facilities strategize and plan for virtual care. COVID-19 is set to reinforce the legitimacy of public investments in health systems and infrastructure. However, there is a likelihood of future patients’ being unable to pay for healthcare services especially specialized healthcare as recession and high unemployment continue being on the rise. As part of its ‘Far’ post-pandemic measures, KNH has commenced the process of incorporating Telemedicine in its service delivery. Mr. Makanga highlights the need for the Hospital to develop and maintain an integrated communications plan to better coordinate patient care within the facility and increase efficiencies in service delivery. This, he says, will help the hospital to better anticipate, adapt and respond to risks. Innovations in the ICT in service delivery, virtual dissemination of tests in Laboratory Services, introduction of a queuing system at the Accident & Emergency, and active promotion of the Hospital’s specialized services are some of the strategies that are in the pipeline as KNH post-pandemic measures. Is your department set for the post-pandemic future?
Youtube: Kenyatta National Hospital Official Page
@CeoKnh @KNH_hospital
http://www.knh.or.ke
Demystifying Mental Health Awareness By Dr Ian Kanyanya, Psychiatrist and HOD, Mental Health and Angela Musee, ACN, Department of Mental Health May has been designated as Mental Health Awareness Month, with celebrations being held yearly from 1949. It has never been more important than now, to recognize that mental health is an essential component of one’s overall health and wellbeing, given the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on humankind around the world. The Awareness Month provides a timely reminder that mental health is essential and that those living with mental health issues are deserving of care, understanding, compassion, and pathways to hope, healing, recovery, and fulfillment. After all, that is what we all want and need now more than ever– for ourselves, our loved ones, our communities, and the world While it may be that some of us are more vulnerable than others, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact our mental health. As is common knowledge, barely a year ago, none of us had any idea that our world would be upended by the coronavirus, and that worry, isolation, loneliness, depression, and anxiety would become collective experiences shared by literally everyone. By virtue of our birthright, as human beings none of us is immune. Perhaps this collective experience of living with the emotional and psychological impacts brought on by Covid will help cultivate not only more awareness of mental health issues but more compassion too. What is Mental Health? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Therefore, mental wellbeing is core to being healthy and there is no health without mental health. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
Kenyatta National Hospital
Throughout your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected and change. Good Mental health is more than just the absence of mental illness. It can be seen as a state of mental health that allows one to flourish to their fullest potential and fully enjoy life. Factors that contribute to mental health problems include: - Biological/hereditary factors, such as genes or brain chemistry, family history of mental illness. - Psychological Factors: these include life experiences, such as trauma, abuse, or chronic stress and uncertainty as is the case with the Covid-19 pandemic. - Environmental Factors; Our environment is a combination of both physical factors such as where you live and the people around you both in your home and the wider community scale,” says Rachelle Scott MD, medical director of psychiatry at Eden health. Other environmental factors that can have a significant impact on mental health include poverty, crime, and environmental racism. What we see, hear, breathe, and
10.
smell can impact mood and stress levels, which in turn directly impact mental health. What are mental health illnesses and their effects? Mental illness encompasses a wide range of conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior. They are common and largely treatable. They include depressive disorders, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, personality disorders, schizophrenia, and other psychotic disorders, just to name a few. The mind is a rudimentary faculty in a human being. It controls cognitive functions such as imagination, perception, thinking, consciousness, language, memory, and judgment. In addition, it controls the noncognitive functions such as emotions. This faculty influences the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of our lives. An impairment of the mind disrupts the daily activities of a human being. It causes a human being to behave abnormally. Biochemical assaults on the brain, for example by substances of abuse, can lead to mental illness. Mental illness may manifest as a physical illness that causes disturbance in thinking, behavior,
Youtube: Kenyatta National Hospital Official Page
@CeoKnh @KNH_hospital
http://www.knh.or.ke
energy, or emotions that makes it difficult to cope with the ordinary demands of life. Common mental health conditions include: Anxiety disorders This is a family of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear, affecting an individual’s social, occupational, and personal functioning. They include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder(OCD), Panic Disorder, social anxiety or phobia, specific Phobias (like phobia of reptiles, heights, etc), and generalized anxiety disorder. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, an average of one in four persons met the criteria for the diagnosis of at least one anxiety disorder, with women usually bearing the brunt of anxiety disorders (30 percent) while fewer men suffer from it (19%), at least in the United States of America. Although there are no published national studies on the impact of the covid-19 pandemic in Kenya, the pandemic has probably caused an increase in the numbers of people suffering from anxiety disorders.
symptoms from a list that includes changes in appetite and weight, changes in sleep and activity, lack of energy, feelings of guilt, problems thinking and making decisions, and recurring thoughts of death or suicide. The lifetime prevalence of depression in the general population is 5-17%. Again, more women (up to 25%) than men (up to 12%) are affected by depression. The occurrence of depression in all populations is also likely to be higher during the current Covid-19 pandemic but again, we do not have any published national studies on this in this country currently. Depression often runs a recurrent and long-term course and is a major cause of disability worldwide. In the year 2000, it cost the US economy a whopping USD 83 billion. Because of reduced energy experienced by 97% of patients with depression, these patients have difficulty finishing tasks, are impaired at school and work, and are unmotivated to try new things. Besides, up to 84% of patients have difficulty
Mood disorders These are mental health problems that affect a person’s emotional state beyond normal. When one has a mood disorder, one experiences long (at least two weeks) periods of extreme happiness, extreme sadness, or both. Commonly known mood disorders include major depressive disorder (commonly just called depression) and bipolar disorder. For one to be diagnosed with depression one must experience a depressed mood and/ or loss of interest or pleasure for at least two weeks, besides at least four
concentrating and 67% have impairments in thinking Consequently, depressed people do not infrequently abandon jobs or drop out of school. In adolescents, poor academic performance, substance abuse, antisocial behavior, sexual promiscuity, truancy, and running away from home may be due to depression. On the other hand, depression in the elderly is thought to be underrecognized as some studies have shown prevalence rates of between 25 and 50%. In this age group, depression is associated with socioeconomic status, the loss of a spouse, concurrent physical illnesses, and social isolation, factors that are associated with advanced age. Of importance is to note that death by suicide occurs in 10 to 15% of depressed patients. Bipolar disorder is a disorder associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs. It also runs a recurring course. People struggling with their mental illness may be in your family, live next door to you, teach your children, work in the next cubicle or sit in the same church pew with you. However, only half of those affected people receive treatment, often because of the stigma attached to mental illness. Therefore, the onus is on us as individuals, communities, and as a country to prioritize the prevention and treatment of mental illnesses. Kenyatta National Hospital has a fully-fledged department of mental health with highly qualified personnel to manage the diverse mental illness among our peoples and communities. The services provided include child psychiatry services, youth, and adolescent psychiatry services, general psychiatry services, psychotherapy services, counseling services, occupational and social work services. All are welcome.
Dr Ian Kanyanya, Psychiatrist and HOD, Mental Health
Kenyatta National Hospital
11.
Youtube: Kenyatta National Hospital Official Page
@CeoKnh @KNH_hospital
http://www.knh.or.ke
Feedback
FROM KNH OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE (MAY 16, 2021)
Testimony By: Peter G. K Musumba ACHA MUNGU AITWE MUNGU “Just imagine this; a day like this in 1990, my mum decided to die with all of us as her children. She took over 20 litres of paraffin, covered all of us in mattresses, sheets and blankets. She then lit fire and after hours of proper burning, we were rescued and taken to Kenyatta National Hospital. On arrival, we were all declared dead and preparations were underway for us to be taken in the mortuary. But know what? There was still signs of slight breath in me despite being burnt properly.. I SURVIVED. 31 YEARS later (TODAY), I am celebrating God’s victory in my
life. I will forever APPRECIATE efforts made by medical staffs at KNH to ensure that I am alive. Not forgetting former chief nursing officer sister Philomena Maina among others not mentioned for providing nursing care to me to ensure that I make it in life. I SAY THANK YOU, THANK YOU and THANK YOU... GOD BLESS YOU ABUNDANTLY. (ACHA MUNGU AITWE MUNGU). LET GOD BE IDENTIFIED AS A TRUE GOD.”
The purpose of our lives is to be happy — Dalai Lama Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans — John Lennon Get busy living or get busy dying — Stephen King
Mrs. Philomena Maina retired Chief Nurse with Peter G. K. Musumba
OUR VISION A world class patient-centered specialized care hospital OUR MISSION To optimize patient experience through innovative healthcare; facilitate training and research; and participate in national health policy formulation
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough — Mae West
OUR MOTTO We Listen, We Care
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up – Thomas A. Edison
Find us on Social Media
If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things – Albert Einstein Money and success don’t change people; they merely amplify what is already there — Will Smith
Kenyatta National Hospital
@CeoKnh @KNH_hospital
Kenyatta National Hospital Official Page
www.knh.or.ke
To contribute or report on newsworthy items, please contact the Editorial team; Marketing & Communication Department Editorial Team: Dave Opiyo, Hezekiel Gikambi & Luke Gathura. Stories: Jacquline Ngure, Dave Opiyo, Yvonne Gichuru, Marian Moraa, Susan Wakiuru, Dr Ian Kanyanya, Vincent Mutua & Nehema Mecheo. Design By: Collins Cheruiyot Photos: Nicholas Wamalwa & Linnette Leyi
Kenyatta National Hospital
12.
Tel: +254 20 2726300-9 Ext. 43121 or 43969 Fax: +254 20 272572 Email: caffairs@knh.or.ke knh.caffairs@gmail.com
Youtube: Kenyatta National Hospital Official Page