Nyeri county will get more than Sh210 million from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention to help in the fight against HIV-Aids.
CDC director Marc Bulterys made the pledge on Wednesday during a meeting with Governor Mutahi Kahiga and other county government officials in Nairobi. He said they will use Nyeri as a model county to directly fund its HIV activities.
The county had been ranked one of the best counties in good financial records on donor funds. Governor Kahiga said the CDC funds will be used prudently.
"The funds will be spent for laboratory support, improvement of infrastructure, training, monitoring and evaluation and human resource," he said.
The HIV-Aids prevalence in Nyeri dropped from 4.3 per cent in 2012 to 3.7 per cent in 2018. Kahiga said his administration will step up control measures and medication.
Nyeri has been carrying out regular free screening for patients in all public health facilities. Bulterys praised Nyeri for hiring staff and upgrading infrastructure to improve services. The county government, jointly with the World Bank, is building a level-four hospital in Naromoru town, Kieni East. It will have a 175-bed capacity.
The Sh335 million investment will serve as a referral facility for Kieni East residents, who have been seeking the services in Nanyuki, Laikipia county, or Nyeri town tens of kilometres away.
Its three-storey building will be completed in the next 20 months. It will host key departments such as general OPD, casualty, pharmacy, laboratory, maternal and child health unit. Others are specialised clinics, maternity, inpatient wards (medicine, orthopaedic, surgical) and two operating theatres.
(Edited by F'Orieny)
