Kiambu County government has embarked on a Sh1.5 billion plan to build new hospitals and expand existing ones in a bid to boost health services.
Governor Kimani Wamatangi on Wednesday said the initiative, dubbed Kiambu Afya, will ensure residents can access quality healthcare services in public hospitals free of charge.
Some 300,000 people have already been enrolled for health insurance, which also covers chronic illnesses and pays funeral costs for beneficiaries.
A second mass registration drive is expected to start in two months targeting 500,000 people.
The devolved unit has already kicked off construction of eight 200-bed Level Five hospitals, including the completion of six hospitals that had stalled for close to a decade and two new ones that were launched last year.
The expected completion of the projects this year, Health Executive Elias Maina said, will see the county double its hospital bed capacity from 1,608 to 3,200.
The six hospitals that had stalled were Githunguri, Thogoto in Kikuyu, Rukuma in Lari, Wangige in Kabete, Bibirioni, and Tigoni in Limuru. Contractors have resumed work after Mr Wamatangi cleared their pending bills.
Karuri Hospital in Kiambaa and Gachororo in Juja are also being upgraded to Level Three status, with the facility set to be enhanced to a 200-bed capacity at a total cost of Sh420 million.
The brand new Level Three hospitals that are under construction are Ndenderu, Kiawaroga in Limuru, Kawaida, Ndumberi, Gitaru, Kahawa Sukari, Kahawa Wendani, Kawaida, and Mwihoko. Gitothua, Athena, Uthiru, and Ndarasha have been cleared for groundbreaking.
"We’ll ensure that there is a Level Three hospital in each of our 60 wards. The existing dispensaries are being upgraded to Level Three status by expanding the infrastructure and equipping them,” Dr Maina said.
The county government has also completed a drug store in Ruiru to be used as a central point where all medical supplies will be stored before being dispensed to the 114 hospitals across the county.
Head of the Health Technologies and Products Unit, Dr Esther Kamau, said the facility would enable the county to refill pharmaceuticals to all facilities on time by eradicating delays caused by procurement bottlenecks.
The county administration is also working towards integrating all level two and three facilities into the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to streamline healthcare services and ensure that registered beneficiaries can access healthcare services free of charge.
This, Mr Wamatangi said, will ensure that patients who visit public health facilities get outpatient and outpatient services for free as long as they are registered with NHIF, which has now been changed to Social Health Insurance Fund as part of President William Ruto’s reforms.
