Taita Taveta county has inked a deal with the Ministry of Health seeking to advance specialised health care services from Cuban doctors.
In the new deal, the devolved unit will receive Dr Claudio Pablo Jimenez, a highly experienced general surgeon in addition to the two other Cuban doctors who had been posted in the county.
The two specialists, Dr Yanelis Ruiz, a family physician and Dr Heriberto Acosta Rodas, a nephrologist have been offering services at Taveta Sub-County Hospital and Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi respectively.
The medics are among the 100 Cuban doctors deployed in June, 2018.
While signing the agreement at his Mwatate office on Wednesday, Governor Granton Samboja said the additional doctor will be a major boost to the health sector.
The agreement will necessitate deployment of Dr Jimenez and the renewal of the contract of Dr Rodas, who has been manning the renal unit at the Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi since 2018.
“The nephrologist and general surgeon are a major boost to our county’s health sector. Their deployment is part of our transformation journey,” Samboja said.
Dr Jimenez, 56, is a consultant professor in General Surgery with more than 33 years of experience.
He will be based in Taveta Sub-County Hospital, where he is set to establish a fully-fledged surgical unit.
Data from the hospital shows that an average of 156 surgical cases are referred to Moi County Referral Hospital and Taveta Sub-County Hospital quarterly.
Samboja said the move will ease congestion at the county’s sole referral hospital.
“County health care workers interested in building their surgical skills, as well as residents, have a reason to smile,” he said.
Health executive John Mwangeka Mwakima said Dr Rodas will be instrumental in establishing the new renal unit at the Taveta Sub-County Hospital.
“This will reduce the economic stress of weekly travels from Taveta to Voi to get dialysis services, done twice or even thrice a week to some patients,” Mwakima said.
He said the specialists will also conduct mentoring sessions across the four subcounties to enhance service delivery.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
