Magana Flowers, OBA, Wang’ige District HospitalBreast, Cervical, Prostate Cancer Screening

This program is to en-courage people to get scanned for cancer as early detection reduc-es cost and agony; and adopt longstanding fam-ily planning ways which are the surest and safest

Magana Clinic, Magana Max Havelaar

Welfare Group (MFMWG), Wang’ige Dis-

trict Hospital and Output Based Aid (OBA)

for a second time on 9th and 10th June,

2012 teamed up again to offer Reproductive

Health Services as well as Breast, Cervical

and Prostate Cancer screening services to

the community within Magana Flowers and

Magana employees.

The object of this program is to encour-

age people to get scanned for cancer. Early

detection of cancer reduces the cost of treat-

ing the disease, most importantly the pain

of an advanced cancer.

Joyce Wanjiru, a Kenya Registered Com-

munity Health Nurse (KRCHN) working

with Wang’ige District Hospital told Maga-

na employees and community that it is so

much easier to treat cancer in its early stages,

but in the advanced phases of the ailment only

conservative management can be undertaken

Ms. Joyce Wanjiru Njue, a Kenya Registered Commu-nity Health Nurse from Wang’ige District Hospital Teaching Magana Employees and Community Mem-bers on the Importance of Using Long term FP Meth-

ods and Cancer Screening.

2

and the anguish is very so often unbearable.

She thus urged the people to take full advantage of

these quality, affordable health services provided by

Magana Flowers, OBA and Wang’ige Hospital for all.

The other object of this project is to persuade people

to adopt long term family planning methods. These

means are the surest, safest and fl exible ways of

achieving adequate spacing of children.

Proper spacing of children translates into good plan-

ning of the raising of the child. Consequently, children

are nurtured in a good life. Over and above this, these

surest ways aid a country to check population growth.

Output Based Aid-OBA

OBA is an initiative that seeks to ensure that people

in the developing countries have access to basic social

services. To realize this OBA works with both public

and private sector to provide these services at subsi-

dized fee to the needy.

The rationale of undertaking OBA projects is not

based on profi t, but on the greater good for all. Of-

fering more funds for Family Planning Projects, as a

result of increased adoption of long term Family Plan-

ning methods, to curb exponentially increasing popu-

lation in a country: for example.

OBA is funded by World Bank, through its Private

Sector Development Strategy (PSA); DFID which

launched the Global Partnership-Based Aid (GPOBA).

This is a partnership of donors and international or-

ganizations working together to augment OBA duty in

improving social service delivery to people who need

them the most.

Ms. Margret Wambui, Magana Flowers Nursing Sister Testing Magana Employ-ees Women BP Before Accessing Repro-

ductive Health Services.

In Kenya and in other East Africa countries

OBA projects are fi nanced by the German Development

Bank.

Subsidies of OBA are given in areas of transport, construc-

tion, education, water, sanitation system; in addition to

healthcare and any other sector where there is potential of

benefi ts being extended to the less fortunate in

the society.

3

Turn Out

This year (2012) 171 people-both Magana em-

ployees and community members turned out

for the activity.

Men were 40 and all were screened for pros-

tate cancer, while the number of women was

131. 70 women were screened for breast,

cervical cancer. 13 out of the 45 removed the

Norplant which they had received in the pre-

vious year. Some from this group after the

reassurance on the advantages of long term

FP methods opted to switch to IUCDs instead

of doing away with these effi cacious methods

altogether.

Compared to last year (2011) project, there

was a drop in the number of people who

turned out. In total 221 people came forth last

year for these services, 60 men were screened

for prostate cancer, 161 women scanned for

both breast and cervical cancer, while 45

women subscribed to long-term family plan-

ning methods.

Ms. Keren Mburia Wanja; Nursing Offi cer In

charge of Wang’ige District Hospital who was

in command of the two day project attributed

the low turn out to lack of counseling after

adoption of the services. Lacking of post coun-

seling use gave a room for baseless convictions

against the use of family planning methods to

thrive. It is from this that most people cred-

ited their rejection to. This want was mani-

fested in the resistance of people towards the

take up of the long term FP methods.

Keren attributed the low turn out to lack

of counseling after adoption of the ser-

vices. Lacking of pre and post counsel-

ing use gave a room for baseless convic-

tions against the use of family planning

methods to thrive

A Worker of Magana Flowers, Security Department Receiving a Medical Scan for

Prostate Cancer.

3 4

1 2

31. Elderly Women from the Community within the Vicinity of Magana Flowers attended the Reproductive Health Pro-gram and are waiting to be screened.

2. An Elderly Woman from the Com-munity Getting Preliminary Medical Tests before being Screened for Breast and Cervical Cancer at Magana Clinic.

3. Joyce Wanjiru, KRCHN from Wang’ige Hospital; and Nora Sindani-OBA Voucher Distributor-attending an Employee of Magana Flowers.

5

4. Magana Flowers Workers following Joyce Wanjiru’s Message on the Re-wards of Breast, Cervical and Prostate Cancer Screening; additionally to em-bracing the Surest and Safest Ways of Family Planning Keenly.

5. Registration of Magana Employees before Proceeding to Medical Examina-tion.

6. Keren Mburia, in charge Wang’ige District Hospital Consulting with Ms. Margret Wambui, Nursing Sis-ter Magana Flowers Clinic; Catherine Wanjuku, MFMWG Project Adminis-trator and Prisirah Wanjiku, a Member of Magana Max Havelaar JB.

4. 5

6

6

This round it also emerged that there were

sentiments that IUCDs could cause cervical

cancer.

Clarifying IUCDs Use

Wanjiru clarifi ed this. She told these wom-

en that once the IUCD device was fi tted in

the fallopian tube it does not move and can-

not in anyway cause cervical cancer. More

to the point, she added that IUCDs were

the most appropriate to women who have

issues with bleeding, weight and medical

conditions such as Hep B and Diabetes.

There is a strong abhorrence

towards Norplant

Further, the Community Health Nurse ob-

served that there was a strong abhorrence

towards Norplant.

Women expressed the fear that this method

causes numbness, bleeding and frequent

headaches. Asked if there was any of that

who had already taken this service and

were experiencing this, it was established

that the claims were untrue.

However, there were a few side effects

which come with using Norplant. Keren

promised that her hospital will supply

drugs to deal with this for free.

If the continuity care had been

provided Keren was of the view

that more people would have

turned up for the services.

This observation was reinforced

by Joyce Wanjiru Njue’s surveil-

lance. Wanjiru is a Kenya Regis-

tered Community Health Nurse

working with Wang’ige Hospital.

She was the one who taught

people on the importance of can-

cer screening and Family Plan-

ning Methods.

She said that the use of IUCDs and

Norplant among Magana employees

and community within was blanketed

in unfounded facts. A number of peo-

ple thought that the coil could move

hence injure the spouse a reason for

the husband to leave the woman.

This misconception was still preva-

lent in last year’s project but no

information has since been given to

reinforce the teachings that had con-

vinced several women to take IUCDs.

Magana Employees Queuing for Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening.

7

FP, Cancer Screening Future Communication Programme

To overcome these selective exposure ob-

stacles, the in charge Wang’ige District

Hospital supposed that a proper com-

munication program to enlighten people

more on the aims of this health project

must be undertaken.

Keren observed that there is lack accu-

rate of information on long term family

planning methods and cancer screening.

She said that referral points for after

adoption will be established. In these

points people will receive counseling,

and follow ups on those who embrace

the services will be made. By and large,

this will be a centre for continuity care.

This she held will work to break negative

peer infl uence as people will get access to

truthful information.

Suitable communication must be embarked on to enlighten people on the aims of this re-

productive health project

FP Counselor Visits

It was also proposed that once in every

month, Wang’ige District Hospital can be

organizing a visit of a family planning

counselor in the farm to inspire

sureness in family planning long

term ways.

Designing of IEC Materials

The issue of designing Information-

al, Educatonal & Communicational

materials also cropped up. Keren

said that she will design posters

outlining the benefi ts of using long

term family planning methods, their

side effects and how to deal with

them, and on the importance of can-

cer screening.

Benefits of using Long term

FP Methods

At the end of the educational ses-

sion on FP methods Wanjiru was

able to convince the women of the

rewards of long term FP methods

over short term hormonal methods

such as pills.

With the long term methods no fre-

quent visits to the hospital, they are

cost effective and one does not have

to keep on always remembering to

take pills everyday which on forget-

ting one is exposed to the danger

of unplanned pregnancy. For these

reasons, various men recommend

the long term methods to their

spouses, and promised to diffuse the

message to their friends.

The gains being explicit some of those

women who wanted to do away with

Norplant retained it, there were

new subscriptions, while a number

switched from Norplant to IUCDs.

Openness to Dialogue

The team working to deliver these

services ended the two day event opti-

mistic that the project will achieve its

desired objectives.

It was detected that even though

there were some misconstructions

about the health services, Magana

employees and community are open to

dialogue.

With this it is very much plausible to

overcome the misconception.

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