When the clinic is too far, healthcare comes in a backpack

In a remote village in Kajiado, Kenya, Sarah Naisoi Songoi describes the challenges of accessing healthcare. The nearest health facility is 10 kilometres away, making routine visits difficult, especially for pregnant women, mothers with young children, and those requiring regular treatment. "Life was very difficult because the distance was far," Songoi explains. The situation has now begun to improve thanks to a new initiative, described as "healthcare in a backpack."

The initiative started in 2022 with individual nurses traveling by motorcycle to provide basic medical care in remote villages. Now, the Big Life Foundation has expanded the program into a more comprehensive mobile clinic model. Beginning in August, multidisciplinary health teams in four-wheel-drive vehicles travel up to 60 kilometres from existing health services, offering antenatal care, ultrasound scans, malaria and HIV testing, cervical cancer screening, and other diagnostic and treatment services.

Community health promoter Jacob Kasine Kutata explains how the distance barrier has affected follow-up care for mothers and children. "Most of them are mothers, especially some who disappear during clinic visits and don't finish. You find a child gets vaccinated only once or twice, then they disappear," he says. With healthcare services brought directly into the village, follow-up is easier, and mothers are more likely to keep their children in for care.

The mobile clinic model has already started to positively impact communities like Entepesi, within Rombo Group Ranch. Liz Chebony of Njukini Dispensary says the outreach teams visit 15 villages, some up to 18 kilometres away. "We go to the community to reach for their services," she says. The approach is proving beneficial for both patients and healthcare providers, making it easier to reach those who would otherwise struggle to access care.