• The county chief said all level four hospitals have been allocated Sh185 million for rehabilitation of infrastructure and installation of vital amenities.
• Nyoro said the county government has also increased the number of ICU beds from five to 32.
Image: John Kamau
Kiambu residents will benefit from improved health services post-Covid-19, Governor James Nyoro has said.
He said that the county government, in an effort to boost the fight against Covid-19, undertook infrastructural improvement, installation of equipment and supplied medicine in public health facilities.
“The strides and the impact that we have made in improving the health sector in Kiambu will be felt by generations to come,” Nyoro said.
He spoke on Monday in Ndaraca village, Juja subcounty, where he commissioned a bridge.
The county has three Level 5 facilities–Thika, Kiambu and Gatundu. Gatundu Level 5 Hospital is being upgraded to Level 6. The upgrade is being done by the county government in collaboration with the Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital.
The county also has 11 Level 4 hospitals–Tigoni, Wangige, Rukuma, Ruiru, Igegania, Lari, Thogoto, Limuru, Kikuyu, Githunguri and Bibirioni.
The county chief said all level four hospitals have been allocated Sh185 million for rehabilitation of infrastructure and installation of vital amenities.
He said the facilities will help decongest Level 5 hospitals by ensuring that services provided are of equal quality.
“We are determined to ensure that by the time we recover from Covid, Kiambu will have first-class medical facilities that our people can be proud of,” Nyoro said.
He said after the upgrade of Gatundu hospital to Level 6, the county government will upgrade Karatu and Igegania Level 4 facilities.
“Igegania hospital will be upgraded to Level 5 so as to improve service delivery to Gatundu North residents,” Nyoro said.
He said the county government has cleared debts it owed contractors and some of the projects that had stalled have been completed. Others are almost complete, he added.
Facilities that had stalled were Thogoto, Tigoni, Wangige and Rukuma level 4 hospitals.
“We decided not to initiate other projects but complete the ones that had stalled. In fact, we completed Tigoni level 4 hospital and dedicated it as the county’s Covid-19 centre. The facility has been equipped with modern equipment,” Nyoro said.
The governor said the facility, even after Covid-19 is suppressed in the country, will save residents the agony of travelling to Kiambu Level 5 Hospital in search of better medical services.
Nyoro told residents that the county government has improved the bed capacity to 1,000 and procured bulk oxygen for Covid-19 patients.
“Oxygen is the first medicine and a key treatment to Covid-19 patients, and we now have enough of it. Piping has been done to supply oxygen to a patient’s bed and one cylinder can serve about 100 patients at a go,” he said.
Nyoro said the county government has also increased the number of ICU beds from five to 32.
“To enhance the capacity of the intensive care units, the county has procured more ventilators and monitors,” the governor said.
He said his administration is working round the clock to ensure all 108 health facilities in the county are well staffed and stocked with medical supplies.
Edited by A.N
Image: John Kamau