Over 17,000 residents of Isiolo and Laikipia counties received free medical care from the British Army's Medical Regiment, in partnership with medics from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), Isiolo County Referral Hospital, Beyond Zero and the LEO Project, during this year's annual medical outreach by British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK).
Among the 17,494 people that turned up for the free medical clinics; over 5,000 required treatments of those treated 614 were children under 5.
The five-week joint exercise, dubbed Exercise HARAKA SERPENT, involved the delivery of health clinics and health education in 11 remote locations. The British and KDF soldiers worked alongside both hospitals and non-governmental organisations to set up the clinics in places where residents normally struggle to access treatment.
Speaking at the end of the exercise Col Edd Gordon MStJ, Commanding Officer 215 (Sc) MMR, said:
It was great to see our team work together with our Kenyan partners, both civilian and military. Delivering healthcare to such a diverse range of patients is of enormous benefit to our soldiers and it's great to also give something back to the local community.
British High Commission Defence Advisor, Brigadier Olly Bryant, said:
Our militaries train and operate together not only to fight terrorism but also to share expertise, experience and techniques, making both of our armies more effective. The joint medical exercise offers an opportunity for medical regiments within the military to do give back to communities living in and around BATUK training areas.
The medical outreach activities provided vital medical services to communities living in and around Kinna, Isiolo town, and Nanyuki who would otherwise not be able to access medical diagnosis and treatment. The team offered preventive, diagnostic, and curative healthcare interventions such as monitoring nutrition problems, supporting communities with health checks, dental treatment, ophthalmology, and health education sessions.
As well as their outreach activities the British Army and KDF shared their experiences and practices from their varied medical training, field exercises and operational deployments. The British and Kenyan teams compared their drills and techniques as well as reviewing the range of medical equipment each carried.
