According to Mater Misericordiae Hospital, heart disease is rising in the South Rift Region, which covers Samburu, Baringo, Nakuru, Kericho, Bomet, and Narok Counties.

The hospital has reported an increase in cases of children and adolescents with heart and blood vessel conditions, saying this posed a significant threat to public health and needed to be urgently addressed.

 Kericho County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in Charge of Health, Brenda Bii, has noted that all efforts were in place to ensure medical facilities were equipped to attend to emergency heart issues and efficient referrals to Mater Hospital.

“We are committed as a county to assist all children from backgrounds that are disadvantaged in ensuring that they get the medical attention that they need, ” said Bii.

Speaking during the Mater Heart Run event held at Kericho Teachers and Training College, Bii added t that to date, over 4,500 heart procedures have been performed at Mater Hospital by Kenyan doctors, with a few being referred overseas or performed by visiting cardiologists.

Mater Misericordiae Hospital treats various heart diseases, including coronary artery disease, heart arrhythmias, heart failure, heart valve disease, pericardial disease, cardiomyopathy, and congenital heart disease.

The Mater Heart Run, initially held only in Nairobi, has been devolved into several counties to raise awareness and funds for treating children with heart disease.

Students from different primary and secondary schools who participated in the charity event included Chebwagan boys, Korongoi girls, Moi Teas girls, Kericho Primary, ACK Holy Trinity Academy, and Chepseon Complex Academy.

The run seeks to continually raise money for funding financially disadvantaged children in desperate need of cardiac surgery.