The medical facilities in East and West Pokot are deplorable at best.

The hospitals that remain open are under-staffed, under-equipped and lack the medicine, doctors and nurses to administer what they do have.  Other than a few mission clinics and occasional mobile clinics, medical care for the Pokot is non-existent.  Life has been and continues to be a daily struggle for the Pokot people.  Many treatable health problems can become fatal when basic pharmaceuticals and medical supplies are not accessible.

The majority of the Pokot have no hope or confidence in modern medicine and have resigned themselves to dying in the bush.  The tide is slowly changing from the witch doctors. The Pokot are beginning to see the benefit of medical treatment.  Annually, Harvesters International Missions sends a medical team to minister to the people in the bush.  The people will clear miles of road so that the vehicles can reach these remote areas and people will walk for days to reach the clinics.  Frequently there will be those who are too weak to make the journey and they are left by the side of the road in the hopes that the medical team will stop and help them.

Generally the teams will treat anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 people during their eight days of clinics .  Beside the physical treatments that they supply, the team also shares the Gospel with those who are waiting for treatment.  These teams also raise funds to purchase medicine and supplies which help to stock the clinics at the mission stations.

Pokot Outreach Ministry (POM) operates medical clinics at most of the mission stations. These clinics are staffed by a nurse.  In Kapenguria, POM has operated its own clinic since 1997 and on an average day treats about 100  patients.  POM has also experimented with mobile medical units that go into the most remote areas of the bush.  As Harvesters International Missions (HIM) continues to build mission stations with clinics, the need for these mobile units is decreasing.

We praise the Lord that He is doing great things through people willing to be used by Him. Will you be one of them?  Will you be God's hands and feet on a medical/evangelism team? Will you help to support native Pokot medical staff? We can all help by His grace.