Renowned American YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, commonly known as ” MrBeast,” has facilitated medical surgeries for 1000 Kenyans who have been suffering from various health conditions.
The beneficiaries were featured in one of his YouTube videos posted this week and included people living with surgically treatable conditions, such as hernias, thyroid disorders.
The project targets people living in counties such as Narok, Kisumu, Homa Bay county and Nairobi, among others, where access to quality healthcare in some areas is limited. MrBeast revealed that the surgeries were coordinated by his team and other medical volunteers.
“Some of these patients we’re having to pick them up from hundreds of miles away, they live in remote villages near no hospitals, and if we had not sent an ambulance to pick them up, they would never receive help for the rest of their lives,” MrBeast said.
Some patients featured in the video said a lack of finances had kept them from accessing specialised treatment, affecting their ability to work and lead normal lives.
“For three years, I could not afford the treatments, and I am very nervous to undergo the surgery. I come from quite a distance, and even though I’m alone, I feel happy because these people have taken care of me,” one patient said.
” I was not able to drive a vehicle since I was a driver in Nairobi, and as you know, driving in Nairobi is quite hectic. After the eye surgery, driving is easier than before,” another patient said.
Some medical personnel in the video indicated that the unfit healthcare system and insufficient infrastructure had contributed significantly to the individuals failing to seek medical help.
In the video Mrbeast also supplied essential medical equipment and drugs in the same hospitals and other medical facilities to ensure that residents, especially those in remote areas, have easier access to healthcare
“If this video did not happen, I believe many of them could not have shown up here in the hospital to get help,” One medical worker said.
“Being able to receive medical supplies and equipment that we really need as a hospital is one of the greatest things that has happened to us this year. The community is very excited because they know these supplies are going to benefit them,” another one said.
It is not the first time MrBeast has pumped his philanthropic efforts in Kenya. Just last year, the YouTube star funded and drilled 52 boreholes to provide clean water in schools in Kenya.
Other projects he has executed in the country include installing water tanks, building bridges, upgrading classrooms with desks, and providing bicycles to schools in regions like Meru and Narok.