A woman in Nadapal has regained her sight and avoided irreversible blindness after undergoing a life-saving eye surgery during the County Government of Turkana’s ten-day Kimormor integrated One Health outreach.
The patient, diagnosed with advanced Trachoma Trichiasis, a painful condition where eyelashes turn inward and scrape the eye, received a Tarsal Plate Rotation (TPR) procedure from a specialist on-site.
According to the attending medic, the timely surgery was critical in preventing permanent vision loss.
The operation was part of a far-reaching outreach that brought health, livestock, and civil registration services to some of Turkana’s most remote and underserved communities.
Beginning in Ng’eu, Lokichoggio Sub-county, and concluding in Kaemanik, Lorengkippi Ward, the program surpassed all targets.
More than 7,000 residents benefited from health services, over 50,000 livestock were vaccinated or treated, and 1,000 people registered for national IDs, some after waiting decades for the opportunity.
Environmental conservation efforts saw 150 trees planted, and in a first for the region, the county deployed its AI-powered CAD4TB digital X-ray machine to conduct 120 chest screenings for tuberculosis under the open sky.
Chief Officer for Preventive and Promotive Health, Janerose Tioko, hailed the outreach as transformative and pledged to retain the innovative approaches in future editions.
“This is the future of outdoor medicine,” she said.
The program, delivered in partnership with AMREF Health Africa, DANIDA Transcend Project, IRC Coregroup, Kenya Red Cross Society, and the Centre for Health Solutions, closed the 2024/2025 financial year with plans for four more outreaches in 2025/2026.
Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai has committed to expanding and scaling up Kimormor to meet rising demand.
For the woman in Nadapal, the outreach was more than a program; it was a second chance at sight and life.