New Delhi: The British Army partnered with the Kenya Defence Forces, local hospitals, and non-governmental organizations to deliver free medical services to more than 17,000 residents in Isiolo and Laikipia counties in Kenya, a UK government press release stated.
This year’s annual medical outreach by the British Army training unit in Kenya (BATUK) saw the medical team provide primary healthcare services, including preventive care, dental treatment, ophthalmology, and health education sessions to residents in remote areas.
Over 5,000 of the 17,494 people who visited the clinics required medical assistance, with 614 of them under the age of five. The forces worked alongside both hospitals and non-governmental organisations to set up the clinics in places where residents normally struggle to access treatment, the release stated.
The five-week joint exercise, dubbed Exercise HARAKA SERPENT, also provided an opportunity for the British and Kenyan troops to share their experiences and practices from their varied medical training, field exercises, and operational deployments. The team compared their drills and techniques, as well as reviewed the range of medical equipment each carried.
British and Kenyan teams worked together to provide healthcare to a diverse range of patients, which is of enormous benefit to our soldiers and also gives something back to the local community, said Col Edd Gordon MStJ, Commanding Officer 215 (Sc) MMR.
Brigadier Olly Bryant, British High Commission Defence Advisor said that the joint medical exercise offers an opportunity for medical regiments within the military to share expertise, experience, and techniques between militaries.