Kiambu to open Sh800 million maternity facility next month
The 375-bed Reproductive Health Unit at Thika Level 5 Hospital will be opened next month, Kiambu Governor William Kabogo has said.
The facility cost the county government Sh800 million and was built to address the acute shortage of beds in maternity facilities in the county.
Kabogo inspected the facility on Thursday last week.
He said all beds and equipment will be installed in the first week of June.
“The facility will be one of its own kind in the country and it will greatly improve healthcare service delivery to residents and non-residents. We are happy to announce that the unit will be ready for use next month,” Kabogo said.
The county chief said other projects that are currently ongoing are the Level 4 hospitals in Lari, Thogoto, Kabete and Tigoni and the county is working round the clock to ensure they are completed before the end of the year.
Among best counties in healthcare
“If we maintain the pace and progress we will be opening the facilities before the year ends. We have been rated one of the best counties in healthcare provision and we want to maintain that lead for the sake of our people,” he said.
The governor noted that since the inception of the devolved units, the Kiambu government has always allocated the lion’s share of its budget to the Health docket to ensure every resident gets access to quality medical services.
“In the old days, a facility like this one would have cost the national government Sh2 billion and still be left incomplete. But we have managed to use the strained resources at our disposal effectively,” the county boss said.
Kabogo was with Deputy Governor Gerald Githinji, Health chief officer Stephen Njuguna and other county officials.
Better access to affordable care
He said the county government has completed many projects in the health sector.
“We have also commissioned the Renal Unit at Thika Level 5 Hospital, fully equipped with eight dialysis machines and more than 2,000 dialysis sessions have been conducted. Again we have constructed and set up two Intensive Care Units and two High Dependency Units at the facility,” Kabogo said
“All this is for the purpose of easing accessibility and affordability of medical services to residents and Kenyans at large, as well as improve the quality of healthcare.”
The county government has also created specialised medical centres such as the Trauma A and E Hospital (Lari Hospital), Paediatrics Centre (Tigoni), Neuro-Surgical Centre (Kiambu), Renal Research Unit (Ruiru), Centre for Non-Communicable Diseases (Gatundu) and the Reproductive Health Unit in Thika.
Source: The Star