The elevation of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Training and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) in Kisumu to a Level Six (6) hospital is on track and proceeding smoothly.
Speaking when he toured the facility, the Principal Secretary (PS) for Health, Dr. Fredrick Ouma Oluga, said the laying of structures for the new status will be complete in three months, whereupon the hospital will become a full-fledged Level Six hospital.
A transition committee is in place as plans are underway to recruit the board for the facility’s new status and absorb the staff, who have been working under Kisumu County.
“I am pleased to announce that the government has placed the facility at Level C5 in the grading of parastatals in this country and this is the highest level of grading for government parastatals,” Oluga said.
He explained that this is expected to help the facility, which is now one of the seven Level Six hospitals in the country, to attract more funding directly from the government and other sources for better services.
In addition to funding from the National Assembly, the hospital may also generate income through lawful sources, including performance-based earnings, gifts, grants, donations, and other contributions.
The PS revealed that the facility has in the last two months received part of the Sh3 billion allocated to the facility by the government after its elevation in June this year.
Dr. Oluga also stated that the government was planning to complete the stalled Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) centre at the facility, which will serve the entire Nyanza and Western region, which is plagued by this condition.
This follows concerns over a sharp rise in the number of SCD cases in Kisumu County and surrounding areas, posing a substantial health challenge.
Studies indicate that approximately 4.5 percent of children in Western Kenya are born with SCD, and 18 percent carry the sickle cell trait.
In Kisumu County, approximately 32 out of every 100 children born each year are affected by SCD, placing a substantial strain on both families and the healthcare system.
JOOTRH was elevated to Level Six through a special gazette notice dated June 18, 2025. This makes it eligible to receive funding allocations directly from the National Assembly to enhance service delivery.
The facility, being the only level six taken over by the national government from the Kisumu County government, now joins the ranks of leading national referral hospitals in Kenya, such as Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. The other six have grown from the ground up to become Level 6 hospitals.
As a Level 6 facility, JOOTRH is set to offer a wider range of advanced medical services, including specialized surgeries, trauma care and high-level diagnostics.
The facility, which currently has a capacity of 900 beds and 954 staff, is set to expand to raise the staff number to 2,500 to tame the deficiencies across departments.
This will see care quality improve, capacity expand, and recruitment of more specialists to meet growing patient needs.
The transition mirrors the milestone that the healthcare sector is taking in ensuring better healthcare services and facilities are accessible across the nation.
It will now only receive referrals from other health facilities within and outside Kenya for specialized care through inpatient and outpatient referrals.
JOOTRH is now set to work with the national government on training and research, offering technical assistance to nearby health facilities and conducting research related to healthcare provision.
This elevation marks a fundamental moment for healthcare in the Nyanza region, the Western region, and across Kenya.
The upgrade sees JOOTRH transition from a county-managed facility to a state parastatal under the Ministry of Health.
By Mabel Keya–Shikuku
