For many residents in and around Kigumo, getting care can be difficult. Local services are often stretched, specialized care may require travel, and concerns such as high blood pressure, diabetes, vision problems, or reproductive health needs can go unchecked.
Dr. Margaret Muiyuro and her team at Pokea Afya Foundation are working to change that. “Our main goal is to make health services accessible to patients and reduce the economic burden,” said Dr. Muiyuro, the foundation’s CEO. To help meet those needs, local partners came together to bring clinicians, screening services, pharmacy support, and diagnostic resources into one familiar setting so care was easier to access.
The Community Medical Camp
The community medical camp at Kinyona Primary School in Kigumo, Murang’a County, Kenya, was led by Pokea Afya Foundation in collaboration with Avant Healthcare Professionals. For Dr. Muiyuro, the camp was another step in a relationship built through several years of medical outreach. “Avant and Pokea Afya have a great relationship,” she said. Together, the organizations helped bring free, hands-on healthcare services closer to residents in and around Kinyona.
Nursing Goes Beyond the Bedside
Patients received screenings, consultations, medication support, health education, and referrals based on their needs, helping connect them with care that may otherwise have been difficult to reach. For Avant volunteer Irene Namunyak, the outreach showed how nursing can extend beyond a clinical setting. “Nursing goes beyond the bedside,” she said. “I am here to provide health education and disease prevention information to the community.”
By the end of the camp, 2,376 patients had received free care. That total included 650 patients who received eye and vision evaluations, with 31 people identified as needing cataract surgery. Cervical cancer screening also played a critical role, with 530 women screened and four positive cases referred for oncology care.
For patients who needed additional treatment, the event helped connect them to the care they needed next, including surgical follow-up for cataract cases and oncology referral pathways for positive cervical cancer screenings.
The camp’s impact was made possible through support from Pokea Afya Foundation, Eye & U Kenya, the Sabina Chege Foundation, local teams, and 15 Avant volunteers, including Avant nurses and Avant Scholars. Together, they helped patients receive medication, referrals, health education, and guidance for follow-up care.
For Avant volunteer Kigen Kiprop, the day “reinforced the importance of giving back to the community and serving people in underserved areas.” That shared effort helped bring care closer to home for Kinyona and keep support moving after the camp ended.
