Kisumu County residents queue for eye care services at the MMUST eye screening medical camp in Kondele Ward.
Kisumu County residents have turned up in large numbers to the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology’s free eye screening medical camp held in Kondele Ward. The event, which took place on Friday, 10 May, 2024, was organized by the University, in conjunction with Kisumu County Referral Hospital (KCRH). In MMUST, the activity was coordinated by the Directorate of Extension Services and Community Outreach, the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, as well as the Finance Department.
“This initiative is in line with the University Community Service Strategy, which calls for School Departments to offer services to the community as part of the curriculum. As a University, we have a responsibility to get prevalence of various issues in our communities, and seek for partners where necessary in order to address these challenges,” said the Coordinator, Extension Services and Community Outreach-Dr. Issah Kweyu. Dr. Kweyu further stated that there is a need to make such activities regular, adding that this will go a long way in promoting health in the society.
A MMUST 5th-year Optometry student during an eye screening session with one of the residents at Kondele Ward.
Speaking during the event, the Finance Officer, CPA Jared Rading’, pointed out that the free eye screening medical camp was evidence of MMUST’s efforts to give back to the community, saying that this is one of the University’s core mandates. “MMUST prides itself on having qualified professionals who are capable of tackling societal challenges, including health issues. Today, the University eye care specialists will be treating about one thousand patients drawn from various parts of Kisumu County, and making referrals to cases that cannot be managed at the camp. The top leadership of the County is aware of this event, and we have officials from the Kisumu County Referral Hospital capturing the data of the patients that have been attended to,” stated CPA Rading’.
“Eye screening is very important as it helps to detect certain eye conditions like cataracts and glaucoma early, thereby preventing loss of vision. In this medical camp, we will not only be providing patients with spectacles and drugs, but we will also be offering counselling services as well as eye health education,” pointed out Dr. Julius K. Rono, a Chief Technologist at the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, who is also a Visual Impairment Classifier trained by Special Olympics International. On his part, Mr. Andrew Wekesa (in charge of community outreach at the Department), revealed that out of the 1,250 patients that registered on that day, his team managed to attend to 835 of them and referred the rest to KCRH. “This adds to a total of 45, 670 patients that the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences has attended to since 2020,” added Mr. Wekesa.
MMUST Finance Officer, CPA Jared Rading’, gives his remarks during the event.
Notably, this outreach activity was also an opportunity for MMUST to showcase its academic programs, which was done by the Marketing Office, under the Directorate of Corporate Communications and Marketing (DCCM). Similarly, the Directorate of AIDS Control, Gender and Disability Mainstreaming provided HIV testing and counselling services at the eye screening medical camp.
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology has made a positive impact on the community through its various outreach activities. This particular event saw the residents of Kisumu County access free eye care services from MMUST experts, and there is no doubt that the University left a significant effect that shall be remembered by many.
