Collins Matubwi
Kakamega
The new Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital is set to open its doors in October this this year after completion of phase one.
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya told Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe that the devolved has so far spent a whooping Sh2.6billion on the 750-bed capacity hospital, money that was raised from internally.
Oparanya said the facility will be ready for use in the next two months.
This was during Kagwe’s visit to check on the county’s preparedness in fighting the spread of Covid19. The hospital will also be used as an Isolation centre for Covid19 victims.
The facility is 75 per cent complete and according to Governor Oparanya, upon its completion and equipping, it would have cost the county government at least Sh6.2billion.
“The new Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital is not only impressive because of its stature but because it was exclusively funded by county revenues. The hospital should not only capture the imagination of other governors who have not met the basics of provision of better healthcare, a key point in the Big Four Agenda but a challenge to them,” said Kagwe.
Kagwe said the hospital would go a long way in promoting medical tourism in Kenya and the outside world, saying the facility was a clear proof that devolution was on the right trajectory.
His sentiments were echoed by his Devolution counterpart Eugene Wamalwa who encouraged other counties to emulate Governor Oparanya’s development agenda.
“The new Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital is not only impressive because of its stature but because it was exclusively funded by county revenues. The hospital should not only capture the imagination of other governors who have not met the basics of provision of better healthcare, a key point in the Big Four Agenda but a challenge to them,” said Kagwe.
The hospital will be serving over ten million people from the neighbouring counties of Kisumu, Bungoma, Busia, Nandi, Siaya, Vihiga and Uasin Gishu and Uganda.
The facility will also be used by medical students from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (Mmust) as a teaching centre as well as doing do their attachment.
Oparanya said that patients with non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes, kidney diseases and heart problems among other diseases will no longer be making long journeys to the Kenyatta National Hospital or the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret seeking specialised treatment.
“Patients will no longer be travelling to India to get treatment as we shall have medical experts from India domiciled at the doctors’ plaza. Already we have an existing collaboration with the different hospitals in India where we shall have doctors exchange programs,” said Oparanya.
“We are fully supporting President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda on provision of universal health care to all. The commissioning of the referral hospital will help decongest the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital as patients from Western region will be treated in Kakamega,” said Oparanya.
According to Oparanya, the county will employ over 1000 healthcare workers when he will be commissioning phase one of the facility in August this year, saying that when its fully operation, it will have at least 3000 medics and 2000 support staff.
Oparanya said the county would also borrow a total of Sh2billion to help in the completion of phase two, purchase of medical equipments and for operations.
“We are fully supporting President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda on provision of universal health care to all. The commissioning of the referral hospital will help decongest the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital as patients from Western region will be treated in Kakamega,” said Oparanya.
According to the Governor, the county government has signed an MoU with the Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, India that will send specialists to treat cancer patients at the facility and for exchange programmes thus promoting medical tourism. They will also equip the facility with cancer diagnostic machines.”
Oparanya avers that governors from the Lake Region Economic Bloc (Lreb) will not employ many specialists but will rather have a few medics so that consultant doctors can come, treat patients and get paid for services rendered, saying it’s expensive to have many doctors on board,” said Oparanya.
“The completion of the airstrip will complement Oparanya’s flagship projects like the 750-Kakamega County Teaching and Referral hospital, the Malava Dairy Plant, Bukhungu stadium and the Shinyalu Tea Factory. It will also help the locals in transportation of their goods and services to outside markets,” said Selina
Recently, Selina Gor, the Kisumu International Airport and Western Region Airports Regional Manager, said that the Kenya Airports Authority is expanding the Kakamega Airstrip to supplement Governor Oparanya’s flagship projects.
Selina said once the airstrip has been rehabilitated to the international standards, it will be able to allow landing and taking off both cargo and passenger aircrafts.
“The completion of the airstrip will complement Oparanya’s flagship projects like the 750-Kakamega County Teaching and Referral hospital, the Malava Dairy Plant, Bukhungu stadium and the Shinyalu Tea Factory. It will also help the locals in transportation of their goods and services to outside markets,” said Selina.
Elsewhere, the is also constructing the second phase of Bukhungu stadium in which Governor Oparanya said that it will cost of Sh2.5 billion upon its completion.
“The county spent Sh500 million to construct the first phase. We have allocated Sh2.5 billion for the second phase, which is ongoing. My dream is to make stadium one of the best sporting facility in the country and region at large,” said Oparanya.
He added: “Football fans in the region who have been missing international football will have a reason to smile as the stadium will be able to host many games both local and international,” said Oparanya.
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