Access to quality healthcare
is enshrined in the Kenya
Constitution 2010. Thus, it is the
right of every Kenyan citizen.
Every election cycle, politicians
visit villages and promise to build
hospitals and improve healthcare.
But that, often, is as far as it
goes—mere promises. Ironically,
the politician’s personal and family
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healthcare is covered by the
government. aware about their right to quality
healthcare.
If the government takes care
of the state officers’ and the
politicians’ healthcare, then who is
responsible for taking care of the
poor and barely literate people
in the villages? Unfortunately,
these people may not even be Amidst this distress, one voice
of change has emerged in
Western Kenya. She is a voice of
compassion and commitment to
deli ver quality healthcare to the
poorest of the poor.
Change Magazine January 2018 www.changemag-diinsider.com
Roselyne Nyakona is the CEO of
Healthcare Rescue Centre (HRC) –
a non-governmental organization
founded in 2013 that provides free
healthcare to the remote villages
in the two counties of Nyamira and
Kisii.
I visited Roselyne at her day job
workplace at Kisii Teaching and
Referral Hospital to speak with
her about her work, passion and
future plans. On a sunny Monday
afternoon, sitted behind a shiny
small desk, a pen in hand, was the
person that was transforming the
lives of poor villagers in this region.
There is no smell of power and
opulence in this small room. Just
the constant beep from her mobile
phone, which I guessed must be
the many calls to help which she
receives from various people and
communities she serves. What
greeted me was pure simplicity
and humility. medical attention. So I excused
myself and waited at the bench
outside Roselyne’s office. After a
short while, the woman stepped
out and I went back in.
I asked her, “What drives you to do
what you do?” “Tell me about Healthcare Rescue
Centre,” I said.
“No one deserves to die from
a treatable condition. It is
unforgivable if we had a chance to
save a life and we didn’t, whether
through negligence or mere
disinterest,” she said and sat up. “Five years ago, I thought of
establishing a charity organization
which could champion for the
rights of the poor and vulnerable
people, especially women
and children in rural areas. I
consulted my husband, other
family members, and colleagues.
The outcome was the birth of
Healthcare Rescue Centre. From
the onset, I envisioned equal
access to quality healthcare as a
basic human right. And HRC has
lived up to this vision.”
“Let me give you an example,” she
continued. “When I was young, I
suffered from a terminal illness.
I was destined to die. My heart
had a hole in it, if I may use the
layman’s language. The doctors
advised for a heart surgery. But
my family did not have the money
to pay for such an expensive
operation. Therefore, my dad
planned for a fundraising in our
church. But the villagers were
much poorer than us. They could
not even raise money enough to
transport me and my dad from
Nyamira to Nairobi.”
There was a knock. We both
looked simultaneously to the
direction of the door. The knob
turned hesitantly. An elderly
woman, probably in her 70s, stood
at the door. I knew she needed
“It took the intervention of well-
wishers, some of them strangers to
pay for my surgery,” she continued,
ignoring the disruption that we had
a while ago. I found my seat. “In
other cultures, what I’m doing is
called ‘paying forward’. When you
receive the kind of grace I received
from God and well-wishers, the
best way to pay back is to help
others.”
“Our main activities are free
medical camps in remote
villages and health literacy
through community outreach
events and workshops. In all the
medical camps, we provide local
communities, especially women
and children, free medical care. We
conduct these camps at least once
every month in various villages. In
almost all instances, we collaborate
with local health facilities for
referrals and linkage in case
patients need further examination
or care.”
www.changemag-diinsider.com Change Magazine January 2018
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