Hospital CEO Dr Phillip Kirwa said they have opened the catheterisation laboratory, where the specialised surgeries were conducted.
In medicine, a catheterisation laboratory, often called a cath lab, is a specialised unit with imaging technology used to diagnose and treat cardiovascular diseases. It allows doctors to perform minimally invasive procedures using catheters.
“We are proud of this latest achievement for MTRH as we strive to continue offering world-class medical services for our people,” Kirwa said.
He said the hospital has achieved a lot in terms of expansion of facilities because of support from the government.
“We are committed to continue offering specialised services here at MTRH so that our people do not have to incur heavy costs seeking the same services elsewhere or outside the country,” Kirwa said.
A few days ago, Health PS Ouma Oluga toured the hospital and praised the work being done to ensure quality healthcare for Kenyans.
He said he was impressed that specialised cardiology services were being offered at the hospital and the unit would soon be launched by the President.
“We have come to inspect facilities for catheterisation laboratory, which involve heart surgeries or procedures without opening the heart and that machine will be launched soon,” Oluga said.
He said the hospital also has advanced technology for radiotherapy treatment for cancer.
The hospital now serves more than 1.5 million patients annually and according to Oluga, it now requires urgent measures to be decongested.
MTRH also handles a similar number of patients in its laboratories, making it the busiest health facilities in the country.
Oluga said the number of patients the hospital serves is the highest in the country and the government is keen to ensure it has all necessary facilities and manpower to continue offering quality services.
He held discussions with the hospital management, led by Kirwa, and said they had agreed to help build capacity in county hospitals so they can handle cases that are not of referral nature.
“We don’t have to handle all kinds of medical cases at MTRH and we have agreed the hospital should work closely with counties to build their capacity and in a way reduce the high number of patients at MTRH,” Oluga said.
He said the hospital serves patients from 27 counties in the western region.
Oluga said the hospital, however, faced several challenges including shortage of personnel, especially nurses, with at least 100 of them quitting annually for greener pastures.
The hospital has 4,800 staff but has a shortage of more than 1,000 workers.
“As a ministry, we have taken up the issue of shortage of staff and that is one of the things to handle immediately. We will ensure we support the hospital to get adequate staff,” Oluga said.
He said although the hospital, like others, had suffered budget cuts, the same will be handled through reducing the number of patients and being innovative to work with counties.
Oluga had visited the hospital to assess the status of implementation of the universal health coverage. He said he was impressed with the specialised services offered at the hospital.
He said he was impressed that the Social Health Authority (SHA) was operating smoothly at the hospital, with instant approval for some of the services covered under the authority.
The PS said the government is keen to restore public trust in health facilities and restore order in the health sector so that Kenyans can access quality services.
