The Kitui county government will soon commission an oxygen manufacturing plant to be used in Kitui General Hospital and other county health facilities.
The Blood Transfusion Centre is a joint deal with the National Blood Transfusion Centre. It will allow the general hospital to conduct blood transfusions.
Currently, patients are refered to Machakos General Hospital.
The plant will cost Sh15 million and will help save the lives of accident victims and mitigate other emergency health procedures.
The new health complex will also have adequate supply of oxygen manufactured at a nearby site to reduce the cost of health procedures.
The facility will serve Kitui Level 5 Hospital. It will improve the quality of medical care and save residents’ millions of shillings spent on oxygen.
Health executive Fred Muli said the equipment has been brought in and the works are set to completed on time.
Muli said the county government has embarked on a major refurbishment of health facilities.
In the project, a Sh60 million Outpatient centre to include a casualty and emergency unit will be constructed.
Muli said the Ikutha Level 4 Hospital will be opened to the public next month after a radiology machine has been installed. He said the equipment has been received and is being fitted.
The Ikutha hospital has been built at a cost of Sh80 million and will serve Kitui South constituency.
Muli said work has progressed according to schedules set by Governor Julius Malombe.
He said residents will no longer need to travel for more than 60km to Kitui town in search of health facilities.
“The hospital will have paediatric, maternity, outpatient and inpatient units,” Muli said.
He said Malombe’s strategy in health provision is to open up far-flung rural areas that had little or no facilities to provide equity as enshrined in the Constitution.
At the same time, Muli says a Major uplift of Kitui General Hospital was on going.
Among the facilities being put in place is a satellite blood transfusion centre, amenity theatre ward,
paediatric block and other facilities that will help improve on health procedures.
He however said the General hospital facilities were stretched due to a major rise in population
occasioned by the positive effects of devolution.
“The County Government of Kitui has more than 230 sub hospitals spread over the expansive area.
We are in the process of equipping all with the necessary staff and equipment to maximise on
delivery”, he said.
He said the County Government has set aside Sh2.3billion, which constitutes 25 per cent of the
entire County Budget.
“We want to ensure that medical tourism to Nairobi and other Counties is minimised because it’s
the business of the County to provide adequate medical care”, Muli said.