Kalobeyei Health Centre providing vital health support to refugee and host communities

Ekuleu Emeto watches over her two year old grandson at the Kalobeyei Health Centre, while his mother Apua gets the prescription and medicines. “My grandson Losike is suffering from a fever. I have come here for the first time and I am happy that we are not treated any differently from the refugees,” says Ekuleu. She is from Turkana County in north western Kenya where refugees are hosted both in the Kakuma Refugee Camp and the Kalobeyei Settlement.

In the maternity ward, 21 year Mahoro Esta, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the proud mother of a lovely baby girl.

“I have just given birth to Deborah in this facility, and I am happy with the services I have received,” she says.

Mahoro, who fled civil war in the DRC, is among thousands of refugees who are living in Kakuma and Kalobeyei.

The mother of two has found safety at Kalobeyei in addition to other services including health care. “I am glad to have been able to give birth in this health facility. My husband is taking care of our other child while the newborn and I receive care,” she adds.

The Kalobeyei ‘Super’ Health Centre (as it is popularly referred to) was completed and operationalised in 2017 and is registered under the Turkana County government funded by various donors including the European Union Trust Fund. Outpatient and maternity services are provided along with HIV/AIDS outpatient clinical services and a temporary clinic, as well as Nutrition services with in-kind support from UNICEF and WFP.

About 10 per cent of the deliveries in the maternity have been reported to be host community women. This vital donor support is helping UNHCR facilitate access for refugees and host community members to primary healthcare and reproductive health including HIV/AIDS services. Refugees are also getting opportunities to attend awareness campaigns on family planning methods and their benefits.

These services are available to some 38,000 residents, both refugees and host communities.

This is part of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) approach which is a vital force for change involving refugees, communities, partners and governments at all levels.

Installation of hybrid fuel-solar energy is ongoing at the health centre which is an innovative and cost effective solution to utilise solar energy for providing power on a 24/7 basis. The hospital requires uninterrupted supply of power especially for oxygen equipment, sterilization and storage of drugs and vaccines at certain temperatures that are currently being run by fuel. To provide clean energy, the solarisation of the hospital will cut costs and eventually result in better health service provision for Kalobeyei residents.