As the primary physician at a rural hospital in Kenya, Dr. Juliet Akoth (left) wears many hats. Despite training as a kidney specialist, Dr. Akoth found that many of her patients at her hospital in Kitui, about four hours from the country’s capital Nairobi, were suffering from cardiovascular issues. She enrolled in Echo for Life, a program sponsored by Novartis in partnership with the University of Nairobi to train healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Akoth uses a cardiac ultrasound machine. Heart disease causes 25 percent of hospital admissions and 13 percent of deaths in Kenya, according to government data.
Kitui Hospital has reduced waiting times for cardiograms and increased diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases to improve patient care. Here, Dr. Akoth (seated) calls a patient to a consultation room.
Dr. Akoth uses a Butterfly iQ™ ultrasound device, provided by the Echo for Life program, during a visit with a patient in Kitui. The portable devices help to diagnose patients in rural areas, where approximately 70% of Kenyans live and where access to healthcare infrastructure can be difficult.
Dr. Akoth (left) walks with a patient in Kitui.