Doctors link patients to affordable healthcare

Dr George Obwanga and senior nurse John Kabochi of the Valley Hospital in Nakuru who took part in a recent free medical camp at the institution. Photo/Suleiman Mbatiah 

By Mercy Gakii

Poor Kenyans in rural areas encounter a lot of challenges in search of medical facilities, which often have inadequate staff, are ill-equipped and have limited drugs.

According to Allianz Worldwide Care, among those Kenyans who are ill and do not seek treatment, 44 per cent are hindered by cost and another 18 per cent by the long distance to a local health facility.

Wamaitha Karanja, a mother of four from Nakuru, had been misdiagnosed with a cyst, while she had a rare tumour. She was worried that it would turn cancerous, bearing in mind that her own mother once suffered from cancer. She started planning for surgery to have her condition treated in good time.

“My brother told me about a group of doctors and the services they offered. They gave us to the options available and the charges,” says Ms Karanja. She booked for surgery at a referral hospital in India.

“The doctors were very professional. They explained every step of the process and why they would do it,” says the patient.

Ms Karanja adds that there are many options that one can choose from, and most are not as expensive as one may think.

The group of doctors was Pathway International, and recently they were at Nakuru’s Valley Hospital where they advised patients on treatment options abroad during a two-day medical camp.

According to Simon Karo, one of the founders of the healthcare company, patients need to know the medical services out there.

Pathway International comprises doctors who partnered in a joint venture after they realised that local health services, especially for terminal diseases such as cancer and procedures like surgery are quite expensive and patients are ignorant of alternatives available.

“We noted that there is a gap for affordable, quality medical treatment locally, mainly because the options offered to patients here are mostly out of reach in terms of price,” says Mr Karo, who is also the company’s chief executive.

He also points out that the lack of expertise to deal with some medical procedures make it very expensive for the poor to access quality healthcare.

“We connect our clients with some of the best hospitals in India which we have noted for their (good) services.”

He says that even though India is reputed to have cheap and high quality healthcare facilities, there are some poorly run hospitals and patients must have enough information on a particular facility where they intend to seek treatment or they may end up paying dearly even with their lives, he warns.

“For instance, a heart patient may go to a hospital which is renowned to treat kidney problems, meaning he may not access the best care options,” says Mr Karo.

The doctors set out on a research trip to India where they visited as many hospitals as possible, studying their systems and what they are best at handling, he says. They compiled a list of hospitals and the best doctors to consult for different diseases.

They also make the whole process of seeking hospital and professional consultants easy and cheaper for patients as well as offer advise and guidance on hotel reservations and flight arrangements.

“When a person is ill, all they want to hear is that there is an opportunity for them to get well. And if they can save some money while at it, that is even better news,” says Mr Karo.

At Valley Hospital, they attended to more than 150 patients, most with critical ailments such as kidney failure, cancers, surgery complications and neurological disorders.

Other than India, they have connections with other medical facilities in Europe and the United States, depending on the needs of their clients.

“We have dealt with patients who had drained their resources without any improvement in their health. On giving them the options, they have gone ahead to receive second opinion from doctors in other parts of the world, at competitive rates.”

Cancer is among the leading causes of medical transfers locally, according to the chief executive. He blames the changing lifestyles, poor dietary habits and increased use of chemicals for the rise in cases of the terminal disease.

However, Mr Karo says that technology abroad has made treatment for most of these ailments possible with patients getting successfully treated.

“Once it is diagnosed early, there is hope and indeed there are alternatives for the treatment of cancer. The trick is for people to be aware of any changes in their health, so that they can have better options for treatment,” he says.

He insists that building a good relationship with clients is crucial in ensuring that a business survives. One, he says, cannot afford to handle a sick person carelessly and especially when the patient finds out he/she has been given a raw deal.

Therefore, to offer efficient services, they have gone the extra mile to build a personal relationship with healthcare providers, as well as give a patient as many options available to choose from.

“We book their transport, handle airport transfers, and get them quality hotels where they can access the best hospitals with ease,” says Mr Karo.

Handling some of the patients such as the elderly or children, he says, could be challenging. So far, the doctors have successfully transferred a 94 year old patient for cancer treatment.

“The future is bright. I look forward to the days when Kenya will be a destination for medical options in Africa,” says Karo. And for this, he hopes that other interested local stakeholders could join them to make healthcare an affordable.