- Waiguru said high numbers of patients visiting Kerugoya county referral hospital increased the risk of exposure to Covid-19.
- About seven health facilities are being upgraded across the county.
The Kirinyaga county government has started improving health centres for better services.
Governor Anne Waiguru on Saturday announced her administration had prioritised the upgrading of level one and two facilities to decongest higher level hospitals.
The county government has set aside funds to complete seven dispensaries, she said, with the aim of ensuring residents accessed quality medical care in their areas.
“Improving primary health facilities will reduce incidents of patients visiting referral hospitals for minor ailments,” she said.
The governor spoke while inspecting development projects at Karumande ward in Gichugu constituency. She distributed relief food to hundreds of vulnerable people in Karumande.
She said Kavote dispensary that has been under construction will be completed in the next three months.
Mucagara dispensary will also be completed in one-and-half months as contractors are on site.
The governor said Kerugoya county referral hospital had been overwhelmed by the number of patients and that it was only by improving the surrounding health facilities that it could be relieved.
She said as the cases of Covid-19 continued to rise, it was paramount to minimise interactions and congestion in such facilities.
“We cannot all be visiting facilities such as the county referral hospital for any ailment. That would increase the risk of exposure to the virus,” she said.
On May 20, the county reported its first Covid-19 patient, a 55-years-old long distance truck driver.
The patient is said to have undergone a test at Malaba border point but proceeded with the journey before the results were out. He was later traced to Kutus when the results indicated that he was positive.
He was taken to Kenyatta University Referral Hospital while his two close contacts were isolated and all staff members present at a maize milling factory he visited were quarantined.
The governor also underscored the need for the sick to seek medical attention, giving an assurance that sufficient prevention measures had been put in place in health facilities to safeguard them against contracting coronavirus.
Waiguru expressed concerns over the low number of patients visiting hospitals.
“Failure to seek medical attention may be fatal especially for expectant mothers who may develop complications that may put their pregnancies at risk,” she said.
She pointed out that the county had 1,200 community health workers who had been trained and provided with personal protective equipment to serve the community without fear of contracting or spreading coronavirus.
“Those who are unsure about visiting hospitals can contact the community health workers for assistance,” Waiguru said.
Edited by Henry Makori