8 May 2018, Kitui– First Lady Margaret Kenyatta today delivered Shs 45 million worth of medical supplies and equipment to Kitui County Referral Hospital to enhance the institution’s health care delivery and capacity to handle emergencies.
She said the equipment will bolster the hospital’s capacity to handle many emergencies especially those calling for surgery, including delivery of babies.
“It is my hope the equipment we deliver today will be of great assistance in this regard”, said the First Lady who also attended Mass at the Holy Family Catholic Church, Kabati to bless the equipment, which she later handed over at the neighboring Bishop Dunne Primary school.
She delivered the equipment at a time when the County Government plans to upgrade the hospital from a level four to level five institution .
A level five hospital has a fully equipped theatre, well established Intensive Care (ICU) Unit and capacity to conduct major surgeries.
The First Lady said the County Hospital will require more equipment, workforce and infrastructure to successfully upgrade from its current status to a level five facility. She commended the efforts of the County Government in their endeavor to improve and increase services at Kitui County Referral Hospital.
The assortment of medical supplies to Kitui including theatre, laboratory equipment and beds were donated through a partnership between the Friends of Africa International (FOIA), Project C.U.R.E and the First Lady’s Beyond Zero initiative.
Project C.U.R.E (Commission on Urgent Relief and Equipment) is the largest provider of donated medical supplies and equipment to over 130 nations around the world.
The journey to deliver medical equipment to Kenya started in 2015 when FOIA and Project C.U.R.E requested the First Lady to be part of their work to provide the life-saving supplies to needy clinics and hospitals in the country.
Today’s consignment to Kitui was the third delivery after Kieni Hospital in Embu County and Chemolingot District Hospital in Baringo County in the last two years.
A fourth container is already in Bungoma County awaiting official launch while three other consignments are expected in the country in the next few months- to complete phase one of the partnership between project C.U.R.E and Beyond Zero.
Medical equipment delivered to various hospital’s by the Beyond Zero initiative are aimed to improve and increase access to healthcare services in line with the First Lady’s new framework launched in March.
Beyond zero’s initiatives are aligned to President Kenyatta’s Big Four agenda on Universal Health coverage.
Kitui County Referral Hospital serves the upwards of one million people from the 16 sub-counties of Kitui and Katangi region of Machakos County.
The facility also serves as the teaching hospital for the Kitui Medical Training College and the South Eastern Kenya University.
Kitui Deputy Governor Dr. Peter Wathe Nzau and Kitui West MP Edith Nyenze received the medical equipment on behalf of Kitui people.
-PSCU