By Felix Njenga
Worth Noting:
- The county boss said that the medical equipment which includes Dialysis machines, endoscopy machine and x-ray machines will go a long way in helping Kiambu residents get services near them.
- He added that with immediate effect, the dialysis machines will start offering services in Gatundu and Thika hospitals.
- “We will get into rapid action to ensure that in Kiambu hospitals will have services that will allow dialysis to commence in less than 30 days,” he said.
- He said that at Kiambu level 5 hospital, there is a big challenge of lack of a CT scan machine.
Kiambu county Governor Kimani Wamatangi has announced that his administration intends to autonomise the health facilities so that they can run independently.
Speaking at the county government headquarters in Kiambu town, during the launching of medical equipment worth over Sh200 million, Wamatangi urged the medical Superintendents to help in running the facilities even as the discussions are ongoing.
“I am very uncomfortable with the situation because the medical superintendents are being overwhelmed by the duties involved without allowances which makes it difficult to run hospitals effectively and no one can work efficiently for free. We intend to look at that provision in law,” Wamatangi said.
The county boss said that the medical equipment which includes Dialysis machines, endoscopy machine and x-ray machines will go a long way in helping Kiambu residents get services near them.
He added that with immediate effect, the dialysis machines will start offering services in Gatundu and Thika hospitals.
“We will get into rapid action to ensure that in Kiambu hospitals will have services that will allow dialysis to commence in less than 30 days,” he said.
He said that at Kiambu level 5 hospital, there is a big challenge of lack of a CT scan machine.
” We have put the machine on order, it’s being prepared and in another one month we will have the machine brought as we are preparing the facility where it will be placed and in three months the machine will be up and running,” he said.
He said that in three months, the county will replace the old CT scan machine at Thika level 5 hospital with a new modern machine.
He said that Kiambu county has the highest level of service delivery in health sector and also has the highest number of health facilities in the country.
He pledged and informed the county medical team that he wants to ensure that they have done what it takes to serve and perform the work they have been mandated to do.
” When I took office, I found that the medics had stayed without consideration of being promoted. I considered it and we promoted 770 medics at a cost of sh 100 million more,” he said.
He said that the county owed KEMSA close to Sh1 billion where they worked on clearing the bill and has been able to fully pay the debt.
“We embarked on clearing other debts that have been incurred to our suppliers to the lower levels. The county had been hiring services and that is not how to grow the county health services as we can be independent,” he said.
He added in one year into his administration they refurbished and bought new medical vehicles, replaced and reclaimed others, they equiped to start of the art ambulances and commissioned 20 more ambulances which are operating and serving and belonging to kiambu residents.
He said that he has worked on a program that ensures that all the 123 county operational health facilities have over 90% of non pharmaceuticals and pharmaceuticals drugs stocked.
“We have had a plan to implement real change that the people can see, feel and relate to. What I said and promised during campaigns is not hot air as it is now a reality,” he said.
He appreciated partners for the good gesture of donating an endoscopy machine and other machines donated before. He thanked the health department for agreeing to go on a journey to reform the sector.
” Health is service delivery and is slippery one in public service as one wrong eclipses everything else. We have to be right for us to say that we have met the standards,” he said.
Patrick Nyaga Chief Officer for Health said that new Xray machines have been installed in Gatundu, Kihara, Tigoni, Igegania hospitals while new ultra sound machines have been installed in Karuri, Kigumo, Kiambu and other hospitals.
The 8 dialysis machines will be put in Thika, Gatundu and Kiambu hospitals while Lusigetti and Lari hospitals will receive new Xray machines.
“We have had dialysis machines which are old and are more expensive to maintain than to serve and the 8 brand new machines will help serve Kiambu residents effectively and 8 more dialysis machines are on the way,” he said.
He said that the county will be having 14 new X-ray machines operating which have been procured through the county own source revenue.
Professor Pankaj Jani who is involved in training surgeons in surgery procedures in Kiambu level 5 hospital donated an endoscopy machine to the hospital to help diagnose and treat ailments.
Jani said that he also donated a laparoscopy machine for surgery where more that 100 successful operations have been conducted.
” This has basically benefitted the female population more,” he said.
He however called on the county government to make plans and support medics to benchmark abroad and get exposure so as to keep abreast with the present day knowledge.
“If we invest in health the GDP of Kiambu will go up by 2% every year, ” he said.