The Nairobi County Assembly will spend Sh400 million to rehabilitate 104 rundown health centres.
Nairobi Metropolitan Services will rehabilitate the centres that have been dilapidated for years across all 17 subcounties.
In this year's budget statement reading, finance executive Allan Igambi increased the NMS budget by Sh500 million; Sh400 million was for the health facilities upgrade.
Already, NMS boss Mohammed Badi has ordered renovations to begin on selected health centres.
“The health facilities supplementing health services in informal settlements have been in a dilapidated state and are in need of some improvement," Badi said.
The remaining Sh100 million was stipend payments to community health volunteers.
However, in the long term, the county government plans to have ambulances, adequate medical staff and community health volunteers in all the 17 subcounties.
Budget committee chairperson Robert Mbatia said the upgrade aims to ensure facilities are in good condition in case of a surge in Covid-19 cases.
“We need good facilities in place that are well equipped so that in case of any eventuality like Covid-19, we can address it even at the very low level,” Mbatia said.
Following the commissioning of nine facilities, residents on city slums will now have access to 24-hour health services in the 19 new hospitals built by NMS.
This is after President Uhuru Kenyatta directed that the health facilities offer 24-hour services.
Uhuru said that most hospitals open between 8am to 6pm, locking out residents seeking health services at night, forcing them to Kenyatta National Hospital.
The nine hospitals include Level 2 hospitals at Gichagi in Kangemi and Gatina in Kawangware as well as Level 3 hospitals in Mukuru Kwa Rueben, Tassia Kwa Ndege and Our Lady of Nazareth in Mukuru Kwa Njenga.
In February, President Uhuru commissioned four hospitals: The Level 3 Uthiru-Muthua Hospital and Level 2 Kiamaiko, Soweto and Ushirika dispensaries.
The dispensary at Green Park Terminal is also open to the public.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
