The Kisumu government has unveiled a 24-hour emergency response centre to help in the fight against Covid-19 and other emergencies in the area.
Residents will now reach the centre through a toll-free number 0800720575 from where all response and coordination shall be done.
The centre at the Kisumu County Referral Hospital has been linked to 21 ambulances and seven subcounty hospitals.
Speaking during its unveiling, Deputy Governor Mathew Owili said the centre shall be manned by a doctor, nurses, emergency response technicians and ambulatory services fleet manager for quick response and evacuation where necessary.
Owili said it will go a long way in helping flatten the curve.
The county, he said, has recorded 2,606 coronavirus cases so far from 28,705 samples since the pandemic broke out last year. Of this, 2,000 cases are community transmitted, with the death toll standing at 75 as of April 5.
He said 90 cases were diagnosed last week compared to 144 the previous week calling for concerted efforts to tame the disease.
Health executive Boaz Nyunya said the centre was set up at Sh2.2 million and support from development partners and is set to pioneer telemedicine in the region.
“We intend to use this centre to roll out telemedicine where calls received shall be processed and consultations made with the relevant specialists before the patient is brought to the hospital,” he said.
Acting health chief officer Gregory Ganda said the county government has procured Sh50 million oxygen making plant to address limited supply.
The plant, sourced from the United States of America, he said is expected to arrive in May and shall be installed at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital.
This, he said, will double the county’s oxygen production capacity and ensure a steady supply as Covid-19 cases soar.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris