“The most important and noticeable difference, which has changed the way we work and bettered the care we give, is the tests we are now able to offer. We didn’t have all the tests– and that was a challenge. Not anymore.”
On a balmy Wednesday mid-morning, I alight a bus at Kwa Ndege stage, Tassia, accompanied by my colleague, Kevin. Recently, Tassia Hospital partnered with Ilara Health to build a lab at their facility. The partnership is the reason we’ve made our way out here. We are answering an invitation from Dr. Ali Wario, the owner of the hospital, who’s promised us an interview where his team will discuss why their partnership with Ilara Health is a game-changer. We’re also scheduled to take a lab tour, and who better to guide us than our own lab manager, Collins, stationed at Tassia Hospital?
It’s a busy morning at the facility. Patients are seated in the waiting room, a clean space that is well furnished. Crisp air blows in through windows fitted with blinds. Collins receives us warmly before leading us to an office where we meet Dr. J.W. Musumba. After being introduced, he is happy to talk us through their partnership with Ilara Health. Tassia Hospital gets an inflow of patients from Tassia, Fedha, Tel Aviv, and also from further places like Athi River, Donholm, Kariobangi round-about, and Rongai. Most of their patients are referred by previous patients.
We didn’t have all the tests– and that was a challenge. Not anymore
Tassia Hospital was opened and registered in 2016. The mission was crystal clear. Service to humanity. A step at a time, one patient after another, the hospital bloomed into what it is today– a well-equipped facility offering both out-patient and in-patient services, with a capacity of 20 beds.
“Dr. Wario has stepped out to get some things in order, as we are soon kicking off NHIF in-patient and medical insurance services. He informed me of your visit, and I’ll be happy to talk to you,” Dr. Musumba tells us.
In our chat, he narrates how the hospital’s scope has widened, on a foundation built by their partnership with Ilara Health.
“What’s different, now that you’ve built a lab with Ilara Health?” I ask.
“The most important and noticeable difference, which has changed the way we work and bettered the care we give, is the tests we are now able to offer. We didn’t have all the tests– and that was a challenge. Not anymore.”
Lack of important tests like the CBC (Complete Blood Count) test, he reveals, presented a hurdle to Tassia Hospital. “We had to send clients to other facilities for the tests. That imprinted a loss on us, as it’s a fifty-fifty chance, you are unsure of whether the patients will come back with the results or go away for good. Our mutual journey with Ilara Health came to widen our scope for tests. Right now we run tests, diagnose, and begin treatment under this one roof.” He spreads his arms open, a gesture to underscore the fact that important tests are now done within the facility.
“A success story you’d love to share, that was made possible by your ability to now conduct tests right here in this facility?”
“There are a couple, but I’ll tell you one that I was directly involved with.” Dr. Musumba shifts in his chair, and we are eager to hear it. The success story.
“There’s this patient who for a while, kept coming with problems. Different complications. The last time we saw the patient, Ilara Health had built a lab in our facility. After a full Haematology test (BioBase Machine) which enables us to see cell distribution, we were able to diagnose the patient easily.”
Before joining Collins in the lab, I ask the doctor what drives him in his job.
“The knowledge that I have been called to relieve pain, as we only diagnose and treat, God heals. Whenever we help a critical patient and later see them walk out healthy and fit as a fiddle, the feeling is overwhelming. That’s what steers me. There are other instances where I meet patients in need of counselling. I have once helped a suicidal patient, and that reminds me that the health care industry has the mandate to do good, and offer better care.”
The Hematology Analyzer is an important machine to have in your lab
Collins talks to us while showing us the technology-powered devices that Ilara Health has equipped Tassia Hospital lab with. When a facility invites Ilara Health to build a lab with them, Ilara Health provides the devices and the lab personnel. Would you love Ilara Health to build a lab at your facility? Fill this request form and the team will be in touch with you.
Here, we are introduced to the PixoTest point of care device, a portable device that enables accurate and faster results, allowing tests for multiple biomarkers: HbA1c test and Full Lipid Profile test, all on one device. There is also the Butterfly iQ, another portable device that offers top-quality ultrasound scans and comes with a cloud-storage feature, the Fastep, and the Hematology Analyzer. The latter, as Collins tells us, is very important.
“The hematology analyzer is an important machine to have in your lab. To simplify for you what it does, it shows increase or decrease in blood parameters: white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.”
While we are packing up to leave, the owner of the clinic shows up. An affable man, Dr. Ali Wario agrees to a short video interview with us. He tells us that his facility offers weekly specialized clinics like the gynecological clinic, pediatrical clinic, and diabetic clinic. Watch the short interview with him here:
Would you love Ilara Health to build a lab at your facility? Fill this request form and the team will be in touch with you.
