Governor George Natembeya has unveiled operations of the Trans Nzoia County Teaching and Referral Hospital which has been under construction for about 10 years.
The hospital, which is to have a 400 beds capacity, was initiated by former governor Patrick Khaemba and is now 80 per cent complete, will now operate partially following the transfer of some medical services to the new facility.
Contractors handed over the hospital to the county administration. Almost Sh2 billion has been used on land and construction of non-medical facilities while another Sh3.9 billion is required to fully equip the hospital.
The county has also proposed to put up a cancer unit at the hospital expected to cost about Sh1.2 billion. A total of about Sh7.2 billion will be used to fully complete the facility.
During the handover, Natembeya emphasised his commitment to complete projects initiated by the previous administration.
He stressed the importance of utilising public funds prudently and ensuring that projects are not left incomplete.
“We must ensure that such projects on which public funds have been used are completed in good time so that wananchi can get value for the money invested,” Natembeya said.
He said the new hospital would play a crucial role in providing quality medical services to the people of Trans Nzoia. It will help residents cut costs of traveling to MTRH in Eldoret for specialised medical services.
"The handover marks a significant milestone in realising my vision of providing the people of Trans Nzoia with accessible, affordable, and high-quality healthcare. The hospital will serve as the cornerstone of our referral services as we implement universal healthcare.”
The hospital project is expected to alleviate congestion at the Kitale Referral Hospital and cater to a population of five million individuals from various regions. The regions include Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet, parts of Uasin Gishu, Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, and Eastern Uganda.
Natembeya said the facility will offer services at subsidised rates and that it would contribute significantly to the county's economy by creating business opportunities for residents involved in supplying goods and services to the facility.
The facility will create about 1,000 jobs directly and 5,000 indirectly.
Natembeya proposed renaming the hospital to Kijana Wamlawa Memorial Hospital.
He also announced plans to establish an internship programme that will annually train up to 1,000 medical students, thereby enhancing service delivery to the local population.
The governor said the county was working to fully operationalising the hospital by December this year.
