28th September, 2011
Sinai slum tragedy: AMREF Kenya makes significant progress
On Monday 12th September the residents of the Mukuru Sinai slum settlement in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, suffered a devastating blow as a burst oil pipeline sparked a fire that killed 82 people and injured over 100.
In the weeks following the disaster AMREF have been working with the local Kenyatta National Hospital to provide emergency medical supplies and treatment to those who were injured or mentally and emotionally affected by the blast.
Essential counselling services provided
AMREF sent five counsellors from the Kibera clinic to assist those affected with psychosocial counselling at the Tom Mboya Social Hall where some of the 164 families that lost their homes in the fire are currently being housed. Nelly King’oi, one of the counsellors from AMREF, says that it has not been easy.
“The emotional and psychological scars that have been left behind are insurmountable.”
As well as providing much needed extra medical staff, AMREF supplied the Kenyatta National Hospital with IV fluids, wound dressing materials including gloves, cotton wool, gauze and bandages, skin graft blades and knives, facemasks, disposable aprons amongst other medical supplies.
Blood transfusion support
With many burns patients desperately needing blood transfusions AMREF offered professional bleeding services in liaison with the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Centre.
Three laboratory technicians, one from the AMREF Central Lab and two others from AMREF’s Kibera Health facility were requested to join Kenyatta National Hospital staff team to assist the blood team.
Zipporah Momanyi, a phlebotomist from the AMREF lab, says that she was glad to have volunteered her services “for the sake of this worthy cause”. Together with Joyce Wanjohi and Wycliffe Otieno, also phlebotomists from AMREF’s Kibera centre, they worked hand in hand with a joint team of ten staff from the Red Cross and the National Blood Transfusion Centre who treated 450 patients over three days.
Hospital response
Kenyatta National Hospital’s Board Director Lawrence Omire expressed sincere gratitude for the invaluable support that AMREF has offered the hospital during this difficult time.
“This hospital is humbled by AMREF’s fast response and promptness to our request and this has gone a long way in saving more lives. I would like to appreciate AMREF in a very special way.”
Read more about AMREF's response to the Sinai slum fire
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