NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 15 – The ultramodern complex at the Gatundu Level Four Hospital was on Wednesday commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta, opening its doors to about 500,000 Kenyans who will now be able to access specialized medical care at affordable rates.
Among those who are set to benefit from the facility is 30 year old Anastasia Nduta who highlighted some of the challenges that residents had gone through in getting services such as advanced surgery.
Ms. Nduta explained that she sometimes had to meet travel expenses in order to get specialized care in Nairobi or Thika owing to the fact these services were not available closer home.
“It is good that we can now get these services here. It is convenient for us and it also makes us feel like the government is working. This is a good day for us,” she said.
The hospital’s maternity wing has 25 beds, a theatre and a newborn unit. The facility also has 12 Intensive Care Unit beds, two additional theatres, 50-bed surgical wards to serve both men and women, a water purification system and solar panels for water heating.
President Kenyatta on his part assured Kenyans of his government’s commitment in expanding hospitals’ capacities noting that great progress had been made in different parts of the country including Homabay, Nakuru, Gucha, Kilifi and Machakos.
“X-ray and Intensive Care Unit equipment will also be installed because we want to make sure that every single Kenyan can get health services at an affordable rate,” he said.
The Head of State further revealed that the number of healthcare givers in the country would be increased so as to meet the growing demand.
County Director for Medical Services Dr. Andrew Toro said that the hospital had opened a Kenya Medical Training College facility five months ago to complement its teaching aspects and also increase healthcare givers.
“Things are changing. Our KMTC institution trains nursing students and clinical medical students,” he explained.
The complex was conceived in 2007 in order to expand its services given that the hospital was started in 1966 to serve a population of 50,000.