By Kinya Kaunjuga
“I feel the need to push,” the woman said. She was still sitting on the chair in the consultation room and I had just recorded a 6 centimeter dilation so how could it be?
As I examined her, I saw little feet. Breech twins! It was an hour and a half to midnight. We didn’t own an ambulance and the patient wouldn’t let us go in search of a car. It was going to be a long night.
When Diana discovered two heartbeats earlier, she had immediately told the patient they would need to get her to the public hospital in the capital city.
In measured breaths but with a steady voice, the patient said, “No. I have heard stories about you. I am in your hands. You will assist me to give birth here!”
Since this was not their first heated discussion about this, Diana and her nurse locked gazes, and in a few seconds the nurse dashed out of the room to get the bed they rotated among deliveries and to boil water.
Concrete stones and steel rods in the unfinished building don’t deter patients from seeking Diana and her team’s care. Despite having to move her clinic, the residents from one slum have followed her to another distant slum for their medical care.
The twins came in perfectly weighing 4lbs 10oz and 4lbs 14oz. The exhausted but delighted mother remarked, “Daktari (doctor), I have two boys already and I asked God to give me girls. I needed these two girls!”
The family was discharged the next day and today they are Space Care’s biggest ambassadors.
Diana and her team use BandaGo to manage their clinical and business operations. She enthusiastically explains, “It has made our work very easy. It has reduced wastage in terms of drugs lost and reduced our workload because it’s paperless. Being the only clinic around this entire place means we had to look up paper records from over a year old. BandaGo worked so perfectly. When Banda came, God came.”
Diana named her clinic Space Care Health Services because she has worked in the slum for many years and is determined to fix the huge gaps (spaces) in provision of good quality healthcare to those who live there.
Thank you for giving to Banda Health. Your donations make it possible to consistently improve our technology solutions which frontline medical clinics like Space Care are using.
We couldn’t do it without you.
Kinya brings passion, an infectious laugh and 15 years of experience in the corporate and non-profit world to Banda Health. A Texas A&M alumni with a degree in Journalism and Economics, she says, "I love doing things that matter!"
Margaret Gibson is the Director of Development at BLESS.world. She has spent the past 12 years helping build strategic, innovative, mission-minded organizations that impact the most complex problems of our day. Previously, she was Director of Operations at CrowdHealth, a healthcare technology startup. Her prior professional fundraising experience includes Living Water International, The Gospel Coalition, and The Source for Women.
Julie does whatever Steve asks her to do! In the early years before joining Banda Health, Julie put her passion for helping people through technology to use as an education-focused, data systems engineer. After spending a few years volunteering as an NGO Treasurer in Kenya, she returned to the USA and fine-tuned her passion to simply focus on adult learning.
Julie’s healthcare hero is the on-call ortho surgeon whose name she can’t remember, but whose skills saved her foot after a car accident.
Clinton is a software developer with in-depth experience in software design, development, implementation, and testing. In a nutshell, solving clients’ needs is his specialty. He graduated from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology with a bachelors in computer technology.
Clinton’s personal healthcare hero is all the doctors and nurses willing to work in low resource areas.
Lawrence markets BandaGo in new areas and onboards clinics who are ready to get started. He joined Banda Health first as an Ambassador, gaining experience in surveying, IT and sales.
His personal healthcare hero is Dr. Steve Letchford at Kijabe Hospital.
Michael helps clinics get started with BandaGo. He joined Banda Health after gaining initial work experience in IT support and data management. He graduated from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology with a bachelors in mathematics and computer science.
Michael’s personal healthcare hero is Dominic Ngalo, a data analyst at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi.
Jeremy is our on-the-ground man, making sure the pilot sites have what they need to use our software. He previously worked as a systems analyst and team lead after getting his bachelors degree in computer science at Africa Nazarene University.
Jeremy’s personal healthcare hero is Isabella Muturi, a nurse at AIC Marira Clinic in Kenya.
David’s personal healthcare heroes are the doctors, nurses and physical therapists in his own family.
Steve is the visionary behind Banda Health. After two decades working as a doctor and hospital administrator in Africa, he has stories that will convince even the biggest skeptic of the impact that IT can have on African healthcare.
Steve’s personal healthcare hero is Irene Mundia, a licensed practical nurse at Mushima Rural Health Centre in Zambia.
Kevin is a passionate data enthusiast. He ensures that Banda Health can tell a story through their data. His vision is to serve as a gatekeeper for Banda’s data so that stakeholders can understand data and use it to make strategic business decisions. He has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Strathmore University.
Kevin’s personal healthcare hero is all the doctors and nurses giving it their all during the pandemic.
Kinya keeps all of the logistics working at Banda Health with 15 years of experience in the corporate and non-profit world and a lot of energy! A Texas A&M alum (Journalism and Economics), her laugh is infectious. She is passionate about expanding the global digital agenda to include social innovation in healthcare initiatives.
Kinya’s personal healthcare hero is Dr. Shelley Machuta, a Radiation Oncologist in Covington, GA.
Amy is a strategist in the life sciences industry. She currently works for the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany as the Head of Segments Excellence. She previously held positions as the Head of the CEO office and Associate Director of Global Strategy. Amy also worked for McKinsey & Company and Booz & Company as a management consultant and had served a wide range of clients in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Nelly is our “concepts expert.” She ensures that all the necessary terms for our clinical modules are mapped and submitted to CIEL (concept dictionary). She’s a clinical epidemiologist with a master’s degree in epidemiology and disease control.
Nelly’s personal healthcare hero is Dr. Steve Letchford at Kijabe Hospital.
Kevin is undoubtedly our most outgoing developer! Before joining Banda Health, he spent 5 years in software consulting, working as a developer and manager at Pariveda Solutions. He completed his bachelor’s in aerospace enginnering at the University of Texas.
Kevin’s personal healthcare hero is Kate B., a physical therapist at Evangel VVF Center in Jos, Nigeria.
Jessica keeps the team organized. Whether it’s filing tax forms or preparing board reports, she makes sure it gets done on time! Before joining Banda Health, Jessica used her organization skills at a soccer start-up in Germany. She graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s in Ethics, Politics and Economics and completed her master’s in International Relations at the Free University of Berlin.
Jessica’s personal healthcare hero is Jairos Fumpa, a cataract surgeon at Mukinge Mission Hospital in Zambia.
Andrew makes sure the Nairobi team stays on track. He may seem quiet, but don’t underestimate his passion and expertise when it comes to health technology. He’s worked with leading businesses both in Kenya and internationally.
Andrew’s personal healthcare hero is Benedetta, a cashier at AIC Marira Clinic in Kenya.
Wes oversees all things technical. If you want a sneak peek at the roadmap, he’s your man! With 15 years of programming experience in the US private sector plus 5 years of technical consulting and team leadership, he definitely knows what he’s doing.
Wes’ personal healthcare heroes are the Christian medical missionaries working around the world.