Programs Team Visits Kenya

Members of the NCDI Poverty Network’s Programs Team—including Dr. Emily Wroe, senior director of programs (front row, far left), and Dr. Todd Ruderman—regional advisor for Kenya, Malawi, and Zimbabwe (back row, second from right)—met with Hamisi Clinic staff members in Vihiga County, Kenya, during a site visit that began in late October.

From October 27 to November 2, members of the NCDI Poverty Network’s Programs Team visited Kenya, which has two PEN-Plus sites, one in Vihiga County in western Kenya, between the cities of Kisumu and Eldoret, and the other in Isiolo County, north of Nairobi.

The visit focused on Vihiga. There, Dr. Ruderman said, the PEN-Plus clinic and staff were impressive, reflecting Kenya’s significant investment in the program.

The trip also included meetings with Ministry of Health officials in Nairobi. Dr. Ruderman noted that portraying the importance of PEN-Plus to Ministry officials often involves focusing on the gap in care for patients with chronic noncommunicable diseases at first-level hospitals, particularly in settings where care for HIV, infectious diseases, and maternal and child health are traditionally much better funded.

“All of the ministries I’ve talked with really know that gap,” he said. “They see it.”