The number of patients seeking treatment in public hospitals in Kirinyaga has surged in the wake of enhanced primary healthcare services across the county, Governor Anne Waiguru has revealed.
Ms Waiguru said that due to improved services, more people are going to health centres and dispensaries compared to some years back.
The governor said the surge is an indication that the ongoing transformation in the health sector, which has seen the county build and equip 19 more dispensaries, is bearing fruit.
She said the county has also ensured uninterrupted supply of drugs and delivery of services by health workers.
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru (3rd left) during a recent tour of Kamwana Dispensary. She revealed that more people in the county are now seeking treatment from public hospitals owing to improved services being offered.
Speaking after officially opening Kamwana Dispensary and Joshua Mbai Memorial Dispensary, Governor Waiguru said public trust in the health sector in the county has greatly improved and that is why more people are seeking medical services.
“Towards the achievement of universal health coverage, my administration has invested heavily in infrastructural development of our various health facilities. Our flagship project is the upcoming Kerugoya Level Five Hospital complex which will offer specialised services [for which] our residents have previously been referred to hospitals outside the county,” Ms Waiguru explained.
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru speaks to residents when she toured the Joshua Mbai Memorial Dispensary.
Upgrade Kianyaga, Kimbimbi hospitals
The county is also upgrading Kianyaga and Kimbimbi hospitals from level 3 to level 4 facilities. The Construction of the hospitals has already begun.
“Apart from opening dispensaries and health centres in almost every sub-location, we have ensured that our hospitals have an adequate supply of medicine. That is why more and more people are now coming to our facilities to seek treatment,” she said.
She said Kamwana Dispensary and Joshua Mbai Memorial Dispensary will save the beneficiaries from traveling long distances and using more money in search of medical services, hence giving them more time to attend to other social-economic activities.
At the Kamwana Dispensary, residents will access outpatient services, TB treatment, anti-natal and post-natal care services, childcare services and pharmacy and laboratory services among others. BY DAILY NATION