The Rhein - Valley Hospital in Nakuru-Kasambara opened in 2004 and is directed by Ruth Schäfer of Switzerland. The hospital relies solely on donations for buying food and medicine for the poor and suffering locals. Moreover, all funds are used directly for patient care. Every year thousands of people visit the hospital for medical help and nowadays also for food and shelter. Blog Editor: Kedar Misani.

You can send your donations to the Alpha Rheintal Bank, CH - 9442 Berneck, Switzerland; Clearing 6920, BIC RBABCH22926;
IBAN: CH75 06920016 1856 71206, Verein Rhein-Valley Hospital, CH - 9450 Altstätten, Switzerland.


Monday, September 15, 2008

Observing the hospital life in Kasambara

With a staff of 20, which includes a mere five medical personnel (one doctor and four nurses), the Rhein-Valley Hospital is nothing short of a miracle for the people it services in the Kasambara area. Today, Dr. Wanjara gave me my first tour of the facilities. It has treated over 80,000 cases and has serviced over 8,200 new patients this year alone, not to mention the 500 internally displaced persons that inhabited the property for the past eight months. On an average day the staff will attend to 45 patients, many of which are malaria cases. With 12 beds for in-patients, one observation room, one small operating theatre and one small maternity room dedicated to child birth, one would think practicing medicine with such little resources is impossible. Apparently it is not.

I am from Ottawa, Canada and am happy to be here at the Rhein-Valley Hospital in Kasambara. A recent graduate of Health Sciences and an aspiring doctor, Ruth Schaefer has granted me the opportunity to observe the medical staff at the Rhein-Valley Hospital. I look forward to learning more about rural medicine and about the colourful Kenyan culture. I will also be maintaining this blog until December, through which I hope to share with you my experiences and observations. -Alex Keller

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