Doctor’s Profile: Dr. Nelson Tarus

The prospect of helping a sick person and hopefully saving a life or improving its quality is what motivated me to practise medicine.

Name: Dr. Nelson Tarus
Occupation: Medical Doctor
Speciality: General Practitioner
Place of work: Eldoret

Esther: Thank you Dr. Tarus for giving us this opportunity to know much more about you.
Without further ado, let’s dive into our questions for today. But first of all, our audience would love to know a brief story about you.

Dr. Tarus: My name is Dr. Nelson Tarus. I am a medical doctor by profession. I graduated Medical School in 2020 and I am currently working as a medical officer in a private facility in Eldoret.

Esther: Thank you for that brief introduction. What motivated you to practise Medicine?

Dr. Tarus: The prospect of helping a sick person and hopefully saving a life or improving its quality is what motivated me to practise medicine.

Esther: Would you say you have tested your motivation so far?

Dr. Tarus: Yes, I would. I test my motivated every day. Seeing my patients up and improving from their illnesses is the greatest motivation any healthcare provider would ever want. I find myself staying behind several times past working hours just to help some patients.

Esther: You must be passionate and selfless in what you do Doctor. I’m impressed.
If you were not accepted at medical school, would you have an alternative career plan and still pursue your motivation?
Dr. Tarus: I think I would have probably done a finance-related course and still participated through donations, missions or leadership. I am also passionate about the growth of the community, continuously empowering the community towards sustainability.

Envisioning using my Medical Education

Dr. Tarus: I see myself using my medical education to provide quality medical services to the community and and hopefully to pass the same to my juniors by training them to become better healthcare providers.

Esther: Which other field would you want to pursue?

Dr. Tarus: Interestingly, I may have two more field I would want to pursue.
Public health/Health Economics- This course/field will help me become a better patient advocate and have impact change at a larger scale.
Agriculture – I come from a place where the economic background is on farming. Personally, I find it therapeutic and I know that hopefully it will help relieve the pressures of a busy medical field.

Social world of Dr. Tarus

Esther: How have you been able to handle work-related stress and time management considering that you’re balancing between family/individual and work?

Dr. Tarus: Honestly, this is still a challenge to me. I am still trying to have a perfect balance but I try to take breaks during weekends. I also have of a network friends and colleagues whom we share together on the different experiences we encounter at our workplaces.

Esther: You must have a strong backup system there. What do you do for fun?

Dr. Tarus. I’m either playing soccer or watching people play. I am a huge fan of soccer.

Esther: What role has your family played to influence your decision in pursuing Medicine?
Dr. Tarus: Well, not so much in choosing medicine but I thank them for allowing me to choose what I find interesting and fulfilling to me.

Esther: That’s a very understanding family. What have you achieved in your career course?

Dr. Tarus: At a personal level, I feel I have been able to offer hope and compassionate care to my patients. I also thank God to have been part of the growth in my hospital. Transitioning from a palliative care facility to a Level 4 hospital offering a wide range of services.

Esther: Wow, congratulations! That is a great achievement.
What are the experiences you have had spending your days around with sick people?

Dr. Tarus: It’s always beautiful when you are able to help your patients improve from their illnesses. At times it’s sad when you cannot help a patient majorly due to financial reasons when they urgently require treatment and medication. But I always help where I can.

Medicine in General

Esther: What really excites you about medicine?

Dr. Tarus: Medicine is all about doing what we can to save lives. The prospect of relieving pain and suffering thus enabling your patients to go back to their normal activity. We have a chance to either prevent or slow down the progression of disease.

Esther: Do you keep yourself updated with current trends?

Dr. Tarus: Yes, I do. That is through participating in continuous medical education, reading medical materials to keep up with current and emerging current materials, as well as taking short courses and attending medical seminars.

Healthcare Systems challenges in Kenya

Esther: What do you see as challenges in the health sector in Kenya today?

Dr. Tarus: There are quite a lot of challenges in our healthcare system. Just to mention but a few; Understaffing in our health care facilities
Lack of medical commodities
The high cost of healthcare makes it unaffordable for many people.

Esther: And how do you think these challenges should be addressed?

Dr. Tarus: On the issue of understaffing, I think the government should employ more staff in our facilities, streamline medical supply chain as well as create more awareness to encourage many Kenyans to take up NHIF. This can be really helpful to help patients access affordable medical treatment.

Esther: Thank you so much for your time Nelson.