The Sovereign Military Order of Malta has launched a new operating theater in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening humanitarian and health services for vulnerable communities in the East African country.
In a statement shared with ACI Africa on Wednesday, February 25, the Catholic religious order and charity says that once complete and fully operational, the new surgical center at Kakuma Mission Hospital will help bridge gaps in the provision of emergency surgical services.
Bishop John Mbinda of the Catholic Diocese of Lodwar, in the company of the Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta, Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, who arrived in Kenya on February 20 for a five-day official visit, presided over the blessing ceremony and laying of the foundation stone for the new operating theatre on February 25.
According to the Order of Malta, the unveiling of the modern theater at the health facility, which serves as the main referral health facility for over 600,000 refugees and members of the host community in the Turkana West region, is expected to address gaps in emergency surgical care, including cesarean sections and trauma surgery.
“The goal is to transform Kakuma Mission Hospital into a resilient surgical center capable of responding to shocks linked to drought, conflict, and new influxes of displaced people,” the statement reads in part.
It further notes that the initiative, which is also directly funded by the Grand Magistry through the Order’s Donors for Projects Foundation,is part of a broader plan that includes “upgrading water and medical waste management systems, training surgical teams, and improving triage and referral pathways.”
Martina D’Onofrio, the Rome-based Director of Communications for the Order of Malta, told ACI Africa ahead of the Grand Chancellor’s arrival in Nairobi that the February 21-25 visit would combine high-level institutional meetings with on-the-ground assessment of relief operations, particularly in Kakuma refugee camp, where the Order of Malta, through its operational branch Malteser International, facilitates the realization of maternal and child health programmes.
As part of the on-the-ground assessment of the Order’s relief operations in Kakuma refugee camp on February 25, where the Order of Malta has partnered with Malteser International to implement maternal and child health programmes, the Grand Chancellor also visited the maternity ward.
The upgrading of the maternity ward, according to the order’s February 25 statement, “has helped improve the safety of deliveries and the management of obstetric and neonatal emergencies, reducing delays in transfers to facilities located more than 150 kilometers away and lowering infant mortality.”
The five-day Grand Chancellor’s official visit in Kenya, whose itinerary also included a meeting with the Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya, Archbishop Herbertus van Megen, and diplomatic engagements at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, concluded on February 25 evening with a meeting between him and Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Musalia Mudavadi.
In the February 25 statement issued shortly after the meeting with the Kenyan government official, the Order said the meeting provided “an opportunity to discuss the priorities of the Order of Malta’s global mission and its growing role on the African continent and in Kenya.”
“The Grand Chancellor expressed appreciation for the government’s cooperation in the health and humanitarian fields and his commitment to further strengthening institutional dialogue and partnerships for the benefit of the most vulnerable communities,” the Order of Malta’s statement read in part.
Founded in Jerusalem in 1048 as the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta, the Order of Malta established diplomatic relations with Kenya in 2007, where it also operates in collaboration with the Hungarian Charity Service.
This article was originally published by ACI Africa.
