iDiasporan

Elgeyo Marakwet: The county government has unveiled a 60 bed capacity unit at Iten Referral Hospital. The move aims at decongesting the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret which currently serves the entire North Rift region and Western parts of the country. The wards will complement acquisition of modern medical equipment, laboratory supplies, theatre equipment, incubators, delivery beds, mattresses, bed sheets and laundry machines all intended to ease access to medical services.

Speaking to the press yesterday after he opened the refurbished wards, Governor Alex Tolgos said the upgrade at Iten hospital rose out of a concern that a high number of locals had to be rushed to MTRH to access health care yet the same could be offered within his county. Better capacity "We are currently holding harambees to foot bills running into millions of shillings for patients who have undergone treatment in various private hospitals in Eldoret.

This could have been avoided if our health institutions had the capacity to treat chronic ailments," he said. The governor said residents can now enjoy better services because of the enhanced equipment that makes it possible for health personnel to handle chronic ailments. "Bed occupancy at Iten hospital has increased to over 70 per cent from 30 per cent in the recent past," the governor said adding that previously, when a patient was referred to the facility it was like signing a dead sentence because of the poor services rendered. Tolgos pledged to have the same replicated across the entire county.

"We shall also upgrade seven hospitals to the status of sub-county hospitals. We shall give them a facelift then equip them to ensure that residents also receive quality medical attention at the villages," he said.

The governor said the county recruited 100 health workers in the current financial year so that service delivery is enhanced besides setting aside funds to buy five ambulances to serve in hospitals that currently do not have them and also expanding mortuary facilities. The hospital's superintendent Castor Mugala said the facility serves Baringo, Uasin Gishu and West Pokot counties which borders Elgeyo Marakwet.