Kisumu County Government has set aside Sh80 million from the Kenya Devolution Support Programme (KDSP) this year for the construction of new inpatient facilities, enhancement of departmental linkages, and improvements to traffic flow and movement within Kisumu County Referral Hospital (KCRH).
Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o said the county has developed a master plan for KCRH that includes the construction of a new diagnostic centre being developed at the facility through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
The diagnostic centre is currently 50 per cent complete and is expected to be completed within the next three months. It will provide specialised services, including CT scans and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), reducing the need for patients to seek such services outside the county.
The national government is also expected to construct a 250-bed Mother and Child Hospital at KCRH, with groundbreaking scheduled for the next two weeks.
Nyong’o said KCRH had now become the county’s main referral hospital following the elevation of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) to a Level 6A facility to serve as a national referral institution.
The governor was speaking in his office on Monday when he inaugurated the Boards of Management of KCRH and Victoria Sub-County Hospital, with the two facilities set to take on expanded and complementary roles within the county’s health system.
The boards, which were appointed three weeks ago, were inaugurated under the Facilities Improvement Financing (FIF) Framework.
Speaking during the ceremony, Nyong’o said Victoria Sub-County Hospital, which has now been elevated to a major cancer centre in the region, would remain a county government facility.
“We are establishing a clear governance and management framework to give it a distinct, specialised role complementary to KCRH,” he said.
The governor said Victoria was being developed as the county’s specialised centre for sickle cell disease management, newborn screening and early cancer detection.
He said the facility would coordinate a countywide programme, working with health facilities across Kisumu to identify patients early, facilitate referrals and link them to specialised care.
“Victoria will serve as a county hub for newborn screening, receiving samples from hospitals across the county so that every child has an opportunity for early diagnosis. We will establish systems and technology for longitudinal monitoring and provide timely, continuous sickle-cell care for children and adults,” he said.
On cancer care, Nyong’o said the county would increasingly focus on early detection through developing the Chun Jeong-eun Nyong’o Cancer Centre, which was launched last week at Victoria Hospital.
He emphasised that JOOTRH, KCRH and Victoria were not competitors but complementary institutions serving different roles within one health system.
“JOOTRH is the National Level 6A referral hospital; KCRH is the county’s major referral facility; and Victoria will coordinate newborn screening, early cancer detection and sickle-cell care,” he said.
Nyong’o said the facilities must be managed professionally, transparently and accountably, with patients placed at the centre of service delivery.
“Our health workers should have no fear: Victoria is a Government institution, and staff remain essential to its future. Continuity of services and care is our priority,” he said.
The governor said the boards would be responsible for providing strategic oversight, scrutinising budgets, ensuring prudent use of resources, strengthening accountability, monitoring performance and mobilising partnerships and additional resources.
He clarified that the boards would not be responsible for the day-to-day management of the facilities, which would remain the responsibility of the respective hospital management teams.
Nyong’o charged the two boards with protecting public resources, monitoring performance, supporting management, demanding accountability and mobilising partnerships.
“Above all, keep wananchi at the centre. Your success will mean safe maternity care, earlier cancer diagnosis, timely sickle-cell treatment and public confidence in our health institutions,” he said.
He urged the boards to work closely with JOOTRH, KCRH and Victoria as complementary institutions and maintain a shared focus on improving healthcare services for Kisumu residents.
County Executive Committee Member for Medical Services, Public Health and Sanitation Dr. Gregory Ganda said the new KCRH board would implement the master plan developed by the previous board.
Ganda said the first phase of the plan would concentrate on improving inpatient and diagnostic services before the county moves to establish an outpatient centre.
At Victoria Sub-County Hospital, Ganda said the county was repositioning the facility to specialise in sickle cell disease management, newborn screening and early cancer detection.
He said the plan was part of a vision for Victoria Hospital that Governor Nyong’o had pursued since 2019.
The CECM said the newborn screening programme would be expanded across the county, with Victoria coordinating screening in facilities where babies are delivered.
He cited the MEGEL newborn screening machine currently at JOOTRH, saying its use had demonstrated that countywide newborn screening was possible.
“Victoria is going to be a facility that coordinates the screening of all newborns in Kisumu, in all facilities where they are born, so that they can be able to start care,” Ganda said.
He said early screening would enable health workers to identify conditions affecting newborns and facilitate timely treatment and referral, improving health outcomes for children across the county.
The Executive said the Victoria board had been constituted with a haematologist as chairperson, a person living with sickle cell disease, a lawyer and medical professionals.
The board, he said, would provide strategic direction on sickle cell disease both as a countywide programme and as a treatment service at Victoria.
Ganda also said the Chun Jeong-eun Nyong’o Cancer Centre would be established at Victoria by December. The centre, whose establishment was launched last week, will focus on early cancer detection and strengthening specialised cancer services.
He allayed concerns that the changes at Victoria would affect existing sickle cell services, assuring patients and residents that the facility would continue providing the services.
“Victoria will, and is, and will always be a centre for sickle cell management. The services will continue even as expansion brings in other cancer services,” he said.
Ganda attributed a scuffle at the facility last week to miscommunication and said staff seconded from JOOTRH would continue working at Victoria during the transition.
He explained that the changes were intended to strengthen the facility’s role and improve coordination of specialised services rather than disrupt ongoing healthcare programmes.
Victoria will continue receiving operational support from KCRH until it establishes its own bank account and management structures.
Ganda said the county government would thereafter provide the facility with initial investment to enable it to strengthen its operations and take on its expanded specialised role.
By Mabel Keya-Shikuku and Valery Nyagaka
