According to UNICEF’s 2024 report, two out of every five Kenyans live in monetary poverty. Additionally, half of the population (26.2 million people, including 10.9 million children) lack access to basic services. The goal of this elective is to gain clinical exposure to both the pediatric wards and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at AIC Kijabe Hospital in Kijabe, Kenya. In addition to providing direct patient care to the pediatric patients of Kijabe Hospital, I will also be transporting much needed, donated pediatric medical supplies. I collaborated with Dr. Ngyuen, the head of pediatrics at Kijabe Hospital, to identify and acquire the most needed supplies that will have the most clinical impact. AIC Kijabe Hospital relies heavily on donations so expensive items such as wound care or pediatric surgical equipment are rarely available. Through the AIC Kijabe Pediatric Elective Rotation, I aim to gain a deeper understanding of pediatric care in a global health setting while strengthening my skills as a physician. I will also gain experience working with an underserved patient population and a culturally diverse staff, including both local employees and volunteers from around the world.
I will be working in Kijabe Hospital, a non-profit, 363-bed hospital owned and operated by AIC of Kenya as part of a network of four hospitals and 45 dispensaries. It serves a population of approximately 2.8 million people including adults and children from both rural and urban areas. The majority of patients are Kenyan, but the hospital also serves a large Somali community. The hospital includes five inpatient wards (general surgery, medicine for adults and children, obstetrics and gynecology, neonatal care, and rehabilitation), nine operating rooms, an outpatient clinic and 24-hour casualty department, an eye clinic, and a full-service dental facility. The outpatient department provides services for general acute illness as well as specialty clinics in diabetes, orthopedics, rehabilitation, ophthalmology, TB, gynecology, high risk pediatrics, and AIDS. A Maternal-Child Health Centre (MCH) within the hospital provides antenatal care, family planning, and childhood immunizations. Kijabe Hospital also sends mobile health teams to 12 villages each month to provide these same services.
This rotation will focus on direct patient care in both the inpatient pediatric wards and the PICU settings. I will be joining a team comprising of Kenyan and international pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists. I will participate in all aspects of patient care and plan to both learn from my colleagues and share my own expertise with other physicians and ancillary staff. Additionally, I will be bringing donated pediatric-specific medical supplies with me which I expect will improve pediatric surgical, NICU, and PICU access at AIC Kijabe hospital. The supplies will include Pediatric ETTs, wound care supplies, Bovie monopolar cautery tips and many other much needed pieces of medical equipment. I also anticipate I will participate in frequent global health initiatives in my future career to provide both general pediatric and pediatric rheumatologic services to communities in need. I currently live in a city only a few hours away from internationally-based underserved communities (Mexico) where I have completed a prior service trip. I also plan to continue to serve local underserved communities on the Native American reservations through my medical training in Phoenix. The timing of this elective is also perfect for me, since I am at a point in my training where I am transitioning between residency and the next step of my career as a physician (fellowship training in pediatric Rheumatology).
During my month-long elective with the pediatrics team at AIC Kijabe Hospital in Kijabe, Kenya, I worked with local medical students, residents, and attendings to provide compassionate, evidence-based care for children with a wide range of both common and complex medical conditions. The experience included caring for patients with myelomeningoceles, severe malnutrition, malaria, and tuberculosis, offering valuable exposure to conditions that are less commonly encountered in the U.S. I was able to contribute to the academic learning environment by leading didactics and teaching on daily wards rounds. My colleagues at AIC Kijabe Hospital taught me practical approaches to managing pediatric emergencies in a low-resource environment, resource stewardship, and adapting care when advanced diagnostics and therapies were limited.
In addition to direct patient care, I delivered donated medical supplies to the hospital including pediatric LMAs, G-tubes, CVC kits and wound supplies. This helped support essential pediatric services and improve access to needed resources.
I am so grateful for my Doximity Foundation grant that made this trip possible!
