• The Health department will decide the number of special beds for the facilities.
• Bondo and Ugunja will each have a 50-bed capacity isolation ward, while Siaya’s facility shall have 100 beds.
Image: Lameck Baraza
Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga has launched the construction of Sh105 million isolation wards in Ambira and Bondo health facilities to help in the war on the virus
The 200-bed capacity isolation wards are expected to be ready in 30 days.
Rasanga, who witnessed the signing of the contract between the county and Aberland Enterprises Company, said Bondo and Ugunja will each have a 50-bed capacity isolation ward, while Siaya’s facility shall have 100 beds.
He said the Health department will decide the number of special beds for the facilities. The governor said once the projects are completed, they will be equipped with beds, scanners and Covid-19 testing kits.
"This is a global challenge but we should not lose hope. I want to assure Siaya people that my government is not leaving anything to chance when it comes to preparedness,” Rasanga said.
The county boss, while responding to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s remarks on 10-bed capacity, said they have 22 beds fitted with ventilators and can deal with any eventuality.
“As Siaya, we are better placed to deal with Covid-19 cases. Bondo and Siaya isolation wards have 14 and 5 beds respectively, while the ICU units have three beds installed with ventilators,” he said.
Earlier, the governor inspected the Sh12 million county blood bank project, CT-scan machines, a fully equipped dialysis unit, ICU units at Siaya Referral Hospital and he urged the public to seek the services.
Health executive Dorothy Owino said Sh7 million was allocated in the 2021-22 budget for the procurement of equipment at the blood bank facility.
“The equipment specifics were identified, bills of quantities drafted and are ready to be forwarded to the procurement to kick-start the process after approval of funds,” Owino said.
The county blood bank collects, tests, processes and distributes blood and blood products to all transfusing hospitals in the region.
Accident victims, anaemic patients, people undergoing surgery, sickle cell patients, cancer and leukaemia patients who previously went to Kisumu for the services will now depend on blood from the new facility.
The institution is expected to collect 2,500 units of blood annually.
“I am happy to see the dialysis section operating and most of the patients were transferred from Kisumu after the doctors went on strike, paralysing activities at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Referral Hospital,” Rasanga said.
He added that the CT-scan that was leased to the county by the national government will start operating on Friday. Rasanga was accompanied by Deputy Governor James Okumbe. He also inspected the ongoing construction of Sh394 million stadium projects.
Rasanga was optimistic that the stadium project will be completed as stated by the contractor.
“The stadium is so far 70 per cent complete, although the coronavirus pandemic disrupted works. The contractor has assured us of completion by December 2020,” Rasanga said.
Edited by Frank Obonyo