By R, KNA
Defense Cabinet Secretary (CS) Soipan Tuya on Friday presided over a ground-breaking exercise for a new block at the Kapsabet referral hospital aimed at enhancing health care services to residents.
Speaking at the hospital CS Tuya underscored government’s commitment to ensuring quality services noting that Universal Health Coverage is one of the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) that the government is determined to achieve.
She said the ultra-complex block which is envisaged to be complete within one year will be managed by Ministry of Defense personnel to ensure quality, efficiency in the way things are done as well as timeliness of completion.
“Apart from the primary role of safeguarding the sovereignty of the Country and our territorial integrity, Kenya Defense Forces is mandated to support other ministries, departments and agencies, particularly for projects of strategic national importance like this one,” pointed out CS Tuya adding that KDF will only play management role while the residents will be doing the works.
The CS further disclosed that the block once complete will consolidate the many disjointed units of the hospital for efficiency apart from increasing the bed capacity to over 400 from the current 225.
“The main component of this new block are three new theatre units, 75 general wards, 20 ICU beds, 20 surgical wards, 30 maternity wards, radiology facilities, clinics, consultation rooms, support services and outpatient department,” revealed Tuya affirming that the contractors were fully mobilized to kick off the construction works.
Nandi Governor Stephen Sang commended the government on behalf of residents saying the facility will play a great role in reforming the County’s health sector and thus bring better healthcare services close to the people.
Sang observed that the state-of-the-art facility will supplement the mother and baby block that is nearing completion to ensure all services are within the building adding that the current scattered buildings make it tedious for both the health workers and patients.
He further pointed that once the block is complete, the current buildings will be converted to universal health facility to offer services to the growing population.
“On behalf of the great people of Nandi County as well as the County government of Nandi, I want to thank the President as well as the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Health for the support they have given to this County,” said Sang.
