One hospital's determination to bring care closer to home
What happens when a rural hospital refuses to let geography, lack of internet, or constrained resources determine the quality of care its patients receive?
In Kenya’s Rift Valley, improving healthcare access is not always straightforward. Despite limited infrastructure and connectivity challenges, the clinicians at Ndanai Sub-County Hospital remain determined to bring specialized care closer to home for the community they serve.
The WTI program launch celebration at Ndanai Hospital
Serving more than 55,000 patients each year, Ndanai Hospital is a vital healthcare hub for residents across Bomet County. They play a critical role in caring for patients facing a wide range of health challenges, from malaria and HIV/AIDS to hepatitis and cancer. Financial barriers and shortages of healthcare workers place additional strain on the healthcare system.
Access to specialist care remains one of the hospital's greatest challenges. Patients who require advanced diagnostics or specialist consultations often must travel long distances to referral centers, a journey that can be prohibitively expensive, time-consuming, or simply impossible for many families.
Through World Telehealth Initiative (WTI), Ndanai now has access to a global corps of physicians and nurses who provide consultations, mentorship, lectures, and bedside teaching across multiple medical disciplines. The program is designed to improve patient outcomes, reduce unnecessary referrals, and strengthen continuing medical education opportunities for local healthcare workers.
Like many efforts to expand healthcare access in resource-constrained settings, the program has encountered hurdles.
Internet connectivity at the hospital has been inconsistent, with telehealth sessions initially plagued by service disruptions. Although the telehealth devices utilized by WTI are designed to operate on low-bandwidth, the internet challenges at the hospital are significant. Determined to find solutions, hospital leadership invested in Starlink to improve connectivity. However, the Starlink connection was quickly consumed by other critical technology at the hospital. Bandwidth limitations continued to create difficulties, yet the hospital team remained committed to making the program work, going above and beyond.
That commitment is evident among all collaborators. Hillary Kipyegon, Ndanai’s IT specialist, returned to work while on leave to help troubleshoot connectivity issues, partnering with hospital staff and the WTI team to identify solutions and keep the telehealth program moving forward. His dedication reflects the perseverance that has defined the program from its inception.
Their persistence is matched by the tenacity of WTI’s volunteer healthcare providers. Nurse Leanna Ross has consistently supported the hospital through educational nursing sessions while helping hospital staff navigate technical challenges and maintain momentum.
WTI is also fortunate to partner with Teladoc Health, whose technology is the backbone for this work. Their renowned Product Specialist, Modupe Sofolabo, often shares his tips for boosting connectivity at our sites in challenging environments.
This pervasive commitment reflects a shared belief in the program's long-term potential. Hospital leadership sees telehealth as a pathway to connecting patients with specialists. By improving access to life-changing healthcare, reducing expensive and dangerous referrals, and strengthening local clinical capacity, the program helps patients receive timely care closer to home.
Building an impactful telehealth program in a resource-limited setting requires patience, creativity, and determination. Ndanai Sub-County Hospital has demonstrated all three.
WTI is honored to support the dedicated team at Ndanai as they continue to demonstrate what is possible when local leadership, determination and global collaboration come together to bring healthcare closer to home.