{"id":137820,"date":"2025-03-13T22:52:37","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T22:52:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/mobile-dialysis-unit-brings-life-saving-treatment-closer-to-patients-in-rural-kenya"},"modified":"2025-03-17T06:26:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T06:26:09","slug":"mobile-dialysis-unit-brings-life-saving-treatment-closer-to-patients-in-rural-kenya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/mobile-dialysis-unit-brings-life-saving-treatment-closer-to-patients-in-rural-kenya","title":{"rendered":"Mobile dialysis unit brings life-saving treatment closer to patients in rural Kenya"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Kenya. <\/strong><\/span>A shortage of dialysis centers in Kenya has long meant that patients with kidney failure must travel extensive distances to access treatment. However, an innovative mobile dialysis unit is beginning to ease that burden, bringing essential medical services closer to those in need.<\/p>\n<p><b>Dialysis on Wheels<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In Murang\u2019a County, a 12-wheeled truck equipped as a modern clinic is offering dialysis services to patients who would otherwise struggle to access treatment. This mobile unit, spearheaded by healthcare organization Benacare, is a significant step towards bridging gaps in medical accessibility for those suffering from chronic kidney disease.<\/p>\n<p>Eliud Mwangi, a 63-year-old farmer who has been undergoing dialysis since 2021, used to travel long distances twice a week for treatment. The journey was exhausting and costly, often leaving him feeling unwell after each session.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet me say that the distance that I had been traveling has been reduced to less than three-quarters. Now the dialysis is near me, less than 20 minutes from my home,\u201d Mwangi explains. \u201cThis has saved me time and the money I was using.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Addressing Healthcare Gaps<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Naom Monari, Founder and CEO of Benacare, highlights the challenges faced by dialysis patients in Kenya, where many have to travel an average of 250 kilometers one way for treatment. Recognizing the pressing need, Benacare developed the mobile dialysis model to move from community to community, offering life-saving care.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe identified critical gaps in access to healthcare for these patients,\u201d says Monari. \u201cThis is the first mobile truck we have launched, and we are going to be doing about 144 dialysis sessions per week, with a maximum capacity of 72 patients if we run day and night shifts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The truck is equipped with state-of-the-art hemodiafiltration machines, which provide better outcomes than traditional dialysis machines.<\/p>\n<p><b>Opportunities and Challenges<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Jonathan Wala, a nephrologist and president of the Kenya Renal Association, acknowledges the mobile unit\u2019s advantages, particularly in reducing pressure on overstretched hospitals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe advantages are that it brings dialysis services closer to the patients who need them, cutting down on transportation costs and easing hospital congestion,\u201d Wala says.<\/p>\n<p>However, he also highlights challenges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you handle emergencies in a mobile dialysis unit? How do you ensure the unit reaches patients twice a week? There are also costs involved, from running the mobile unit to managing waste disposal and maintaining nursing auxiliary services,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n<p><b>Accessible and Affordable Care<\/b><\/p>\n<p>To ensure accessibility, the mobile dialysis service is free for anyone registered under the Social Health Authority national insurance scheme. Patients can also receive treatment through Kang\u2019ata Care, a county government insurance program in Murang\u2019a.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Kenya Renal Association, more than 5,500 people needed dialysis in Kenya in 2021, with numbers expected to rise. Despite the growing demand, the country has fewer than 200 dialysis centers for a population of over 50 million people. T<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Kenya<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Kenya. A shortage of dialysis centers in Kenya has long meant that patients with kidney failure must travel extensive distances to access treatment. However, an innovative mobile dialysis unit is beginning to ease that burden, bringing essential medical services closer to those in need. Dialysis on Wheels In Murang\u2019a County, a 12-wheeled truck [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":137819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[4266,14293,544,674],"class_list":["post-137820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-cancer","tag-health-personnel","tag-kenya","tag-public-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mobile dialysis unit brings life-saving treatment closer to patients in rural Kenya - kenya<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A shortage of dialysis centers in Kenya has long meant that patients with kidney failure must travel extensive distances ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/mobile-dialysis-unit-brings-life-saving-treatment-closer-to-patients-in-rural-kenya\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mobile dialysis unit brings life-saving treatment closer to patients in rural Kenya\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A shortage of dialysis centers in Kenya has long meant that patients with kidney failure must travel extensive distances ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/mobile-dialysis-unit-brings-life-saving-treatment-closer-to-patients-in-rural-kenya\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"kenya\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-13T22:52:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-17T06:26:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2025\/03\/sm_1741895423.593343.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"538\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/mobile-dialysis-unit-brings-life-saving-treatment-closer-to-patients-in-rural-kenya#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/mobile-dialysis-unit-brings-life-saving-treatment-closer-to-patients-in-rural-kenya\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Mobile dialysis unit brings life-saving treatment closer to patients in rural Kenya\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-13T22:52:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-17T06:26:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/mobile-dialysis-unit-brings-life-saving-treatment-closer-to-patients-in-rural-kenya\"},\"wordCount\":492,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/mobile-dialysis-unit-brings-life-saving-treatment-closer-to-patients-in-rural-kenya#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2025\/03\/sm_1741895423.593343.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Cancer\",\"Health personnel\",\"Kenya\",\"Public Health\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/mobile-dialysis-unit-brings-life-saving-treatment-closer-to-patients-in-rural-kenya#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/mobile-dialysis-unit-brings-life-saving-treatment-closer-to-patients-in-rural-kenya\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/mobile-dialysis-unit-brings-life-saving-treatment-closer-to-patients-in-rural-kenya\",\"name\":\"Mobile dialysis unit brings life-saving treatment closer to patients in rural Kenya - 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