The Murang’a County Government has launched and equipped a state-of-the-art physiotherapy and occupation therapy that is set to revolutionize health care services for patients with physical illnesses and disabilities.
The Sh20 million centre was launched alongside male, female and children inpatient wards at the newly completed Kigumo Level 4 Hospital block, Kigumo constituency.
The hospital has lacked inpatient services since its establishment in 1961; thus the launch comes as relief to patients requiring extended medical attention who would previously make long trips to Nairobi or Murang’a town to access these services.
During the launch of the centre, over 100 beneficiaries with disabilities received wheelchairs and other assistive devices like walking frames, crutches and walking sticks to ensure improved mobility so as to enhance their quality of life.
Speaking during the launch, Governor Irungu Kang’ata while reaffirming his administration’s dedication to inclusive healthcare and social empowerment noted that the physiotherapy centre will enhance patient recovery through specialised medical treatment and therapeutic exercises.
“People with major conditions affecting their mobility will be able to receive services here and it will reduce congestion and the number of people seeking services at the Murang’a level 5 hospital and at Maragua,” he said.
“We have equipped the physiotherapy department, the rehabilitative department, as well as the occupational therapy department with state-of-the-art equipment to serve children and adults both males and females and offer the much-needed recovery and rehabilitative services,” he added.
Notably, at the rehabilitative department, the county government has equipped among others a static bicycle, multigym, treadmill, parallel bars, wheel bar.
“At the occupational therapy department, we have the standing/sitting aids for children with delayed milestones, assorted toys, trampoline, rollers and re-education mirrors among others,” stated Kangata.
KNA spoke to some of the beneficiaries who were all smiling despite their physical inability in mobility and they shared the struggles they have been going through in search of health care services.
70-year-old Erastus Njuguna had his left leg amputated in 2021 when he worked as a train technician in Kajiado.
Since then, his life took an unexpected turn because he could no longer work nor walk despite having a prosthetic limb and accessing medical services was an uphill task.
“Sometimes when I am in excruciating pain, travelling to Murang’a or Nairobi to seek medical services has been both expensive and difficult considering the economic distress we are experiencing,” he says. adding that,
“With this hospital, we will be able to access the services right here without breaking a bank.”
He says that with the struggles involved in public transportation, more cost was incurred in seeking private means to Murang’a or Thika which is extortionate.
Njuguna, who shows us his right leg that has also been affected and can hardly move without support received a wheelchair, which he noted will aid in his mobility and save his only leg from the strain of using crutches and walking sticks.
Esther Muthoni, from Kambi area is mother of a 37-year-old child with disability.
She notes that carrying him on her back to seek medical services has been strenuous but having received a wheelchair, it will aid in his mobility and make their life more worthwhile.
“Having this hospital and physiotherapy services within reach it will improve the quality of our lives because initially you would have to spend a whole day to travel to Maragua and with him on my back it was even more gruelling,” says Muthoni.
Hopeful that she will now be able to take up menial jobs to take care of her family and improve the quality of their lives, she places her 37-year-old son on the wheelchair they have received, and they head home, a heavy weight off her back, literally.
The new Kigumo level four hospital brings a total to three physiotherapy and occupational therapy units after Muriranjas and Kirwara level four hospital centers.
By Florence Kinyua
