The Kenya National Highways Authority is building a Sh163.9 million trauma centre at St Joseph Nyabondo Mission Hospital in Kisumu.
This is part of the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Ahero-Kisii Road (A1), which is set to be completed by mid-next year.
Resident engineer Harison Gakuo said the authority set aside the funds for the construction of the centre and infrastructural works.
The trauma centre, a two-storey building, will have an intensive care unit, High Dependency Unit, two operation theatres, Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI), CT Scan, X-rays, Ultrasound, a laboratory, pharmacy, wards and consultation rooms.
Gakuo said the centre will majorly deal with trauma and post-trauma cases resulting from road accidents.
He said the trauma centre will take pressure off the county's only referral facility, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital.
“This centre will serve the six counties, Kisumu, Kericho Homa Bay, Migori, Kisii and Nyamira and each of them have already gotten the ambulances that were delivered four months ago,” Gakuo said.
"We plan that when we finish this project by maybe before the end of this year, everything will have been ready and the installation done.
“The client has an agreement with the mission that they will be supplying the doctors and the consumer goods."
Olende said they are only putting up two levels but the building has been designed for future expansion of two extra levels.
She said the proposed bed capacity will be 53 for males, 68 for females and 30 for children, which will all be on the first floor.