For several years, residents of rural outposts in Nakuru County had to travel to Nakuru Level Five Hospital in Nakuru town for surgery and other crucial health services.

That was the case for residents of far-flung sub-counties like Kuresoi South, Kuresoi North, Subukia and Molo.

However, this is now becoming a thing of the past.

The Nakuru County government has invested more than Sh26 billion in the health sector in the past four years, transforming the region's healthcare and improving services.

Many residents of remote areas now do not have to travel to Nakuru Referral.

Residents interviewed by the Nation say the refurbishing of various health facilities and construction of new ones had greatly improved health services.

“Before the Elburgon Level 4 Hospital was given a facelift and equipped better, we used to travel all the way to the Nakuru Level Five Hospital to undergo even minor surgery,” said Mr Peter Karanja, a resident of Elburgon.

“But since early this year, we can obtain the services at the facility. I recently underwent minor surgery at the hospital.”

Situation has changed

At Molo Sub-County Hospital, which was once on the spot for poor services and congestion, the situation has changed.

According to Ms Mary Nyambura, a resident of Muchorwe, services have greatly improved and more equipment has been procured for the hospital.

“Generally, health services at the hospital have improved since last year. Surgeries and deliveries for pregnant mothers can be handled with ease and we no longer travel to Nakuru Level Five Hospital for the services,” she told the Nation.

The hospital serves patients from Molo, Kuresoi, Njoro and parts of Rongai constituency.

The county has allocated at least Sh6 billion to the health sector every year since 2018.

The county health docket, for instance, was allocated a whooping Sh6.6 billion in the 2019/2020 financial year, the lion’s share of the county’s total budget of Sh21.3 billion.

In the past three years, the county allocated a minimum of Sh6 billion each year to the health department.

Under construction

Most of the health facilities are under construction, but some are already complete.

Among the major projects in the department are a Sh600 million outpatient unit at Nakuru Level Five, the Sh300 million Naivasha Sub-County Hospital that is complete and the construction of another state-of-the-art referral hospital in Njoro sub-county for Sh175 million.

The county government seeks to establish at least six theatres in rural health facilities, which will reduce surgical referral cases.

Its focus has been the upgrading of all sub-county hospitals in the region as well as construction of new heart facilities.

First-ever surgery

Already, doctors at Elburgon Level 4 earlier this year performed the first-ever surgery since the hospital was opened in 1997, following the upgrading and equipping of a theatre.

Previously, all surgical operations were referred to Nakuru Level Five.

The hospital serves thousands of peasant farmers and forest evictees living in various low-income areas in Molo, Njoro and Rongai sub-counties.

Medics, led by Dr George Biketi, conducted two surgeries.

The hospital’s nursing officer-in-charge, Alpharxard Kemboi, said the successful surgeries are a clear testament that the operations can be conducted in far-flung areas if health facilities are well equipped.

"This is encouraging and impressive. We expect to conduct more surgeries including complicated ones in the near future. Going forward, the Elburgon hospital will be conducting surgeries on Wednesdays and will soon shift to complicated ones," said Mr Kemboi.

Health executive Dr Gichuki Kariuki yesterday revealed that the county will continue to reinvigorate and equip rural health facilities as it seeks to boost services.

“In our bid to ensure good health services at the grassroots, we are refurbishing the health facilities so that they can boost Nakuru Level Five Hospital and other major hospitals in the region,” said Dr Kariuki.

Revamp rural hospitals

Governor Kinyanjui, in an interview with the Nation, revealed that the county government was determined to revamp rural health facilities including maternity to drastically reduce maternal deaths in the region and also help boost universal healthcare.

“The facilities will provide affordable and quality healthcare. For a long time, mothers and newborns have been travelling to Nakuru Level Five Hospital to get the services,” he said.

“We want residents in sub-counties, especially those in far-flung areas, to easily access maternity and all other health services in general."

He added: “We have so far managed to operationalise 15 new health facilities and 26 are at various stages of construction. The Level 2 and Level 3 hospitals have also been critical to most of our people when they fall ill because that is where they first go.”

The Elburgon hospital is not the only rural facility offering theatre services.

Healthcare services including maternity in Dundori ward, Bahati sub-county, 25km east of Nakuru town, are set for a major boost after the construction of a multimillion-shilling Level 4 hospital in Githioro.

The hospital will offer maternity and surgery services.

The area largely remained neglected, even after the advent of devolution in 2013.

The county government is banking on the Sh60 million ultra-modern facility to improve health services in the region and surrounding areas.

Reduce congestion

Dr Kariuki said the project will help reduce congestion at Nakuru Level Five.

“In a bid to ensure good health services in the region and reduce congestion at Nakuru Level Five, we decided to construct the facility in Githioro,” he said.

“Construction is complete and our aim is to put up more patient units, so that the facility can sufficiently serve hundreds of patients from Dundori ward and neighbouring areas.”

The facility will house a theatre to attend to emergencies, among other essential health units.

The facility will also have a maternity wing and it is expected to open doors to mothers and their babies by next year.

The hospital will serve patients from Dundori ward, Wanyororo, Tabuga and neighbouring rural areas in Bahati constituency.

Previously, women in the area sought prenatal and postnatal services at Nakuru Level Five, some 20km away.

Other health facilities that will be equipped to offer surgery services are found in far-flung areas of sub-counties like Kuresoi South, Kuresoi North, Gilgil, Rongai, and Subukia.

Naivasha Sub-County Hospital, for instance, has received a Sh330 million facelift.

Outpatient complex

The facelift includes a state-of-the-art outpatient complex that will be operational soon.

The project, now complete, is a joint partnership between Nakuru County and the national government through the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen).

The county government is also building a Sh150 million hospital near the Naivasha Inland Container Depot.

In Njoro sub-county, the construction of a Sh175 million state-of-the-art referral hospital is also underway.

The new facility is set to have an outpatient department, X-ray services, an emergency unit, theatres, a maternity wing, a pharmacy, inpatient facilities and modern laboratories.

Other healthcare facilities nearing completion include the Sh157 million Molo Sub-County Hospital, the Sh60 million outpatient complex at Olenguruone Health Centre and the Sh60 million Level Four health facility at Karuswa in Bahati sub-county.

Molo Sub-County Hospital, which has previously been on the spot for poor services due to congestion, is also undergoing a major facelift, with the construction of a Sh100 million ultramodern outpatient wing underway.

In Gilgil, a Sh40 million state-of-the-art maternity hospital that will be located at Gilgil General and Psychiatric Hospital will house a theatre to serve emergencies and expectant mothers.

Caesarean operations

This means caesarean operations and all other services required by expectant mothers will be conducted at the facility.

The county government is also banking on the ongoing construction of a Sh600 million ultramodern outpatient wing at Nakuru Level Five to improve health services delivery.

Regulatory filings by the hospital indicate that it is looking to put up several other buildings that will house clinical facilities and raise the capacity to absorb the growing number of patients seeking better healthcare at the facility, the largest in the region.

The referral hospital serves patients from more than five counties including Nakuru, Kericho, Baringo, Nyandarua, Samburu and Narok.

According to the county health department, the outpatient wing will house dental, optical, dermatology and an ear, nose and throat unit, among other critical services.

Already Nakuru boasts key facilities, including the Sh550 million Margaret Kenyatta Mother Baby Wing, which has 250 beds, and is the largest after Nairobi County's Pumwani Hospital.

The maternity wing, opened in October 2018 by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, has enhanced pregnancy care and safe childbirth.

Radiology centre

With the growing number of cancer patients, the county government, in conjunction with the national government, has invested another Sh500 million to build a radiology centre at Nakuru Level Five.

The project is almost complete and hiring staff and equipping the centre have started.

The county government has also revamped more than 20 health facilities that had been built by his predecessor Kinuthia Mbugua, between 2013 and 2017, but have remained abandoned and idle for many years.

Most of the health centres were previously abandoned.

However, the Nakuru county government has in the past three years allocated huge chunks of money to the health docket to support infrastructure and upgrade health facilities.

The health department has also invested in a recently commissioned fleet of 30 ambulances that are centrally managed. Five of them have advanced life support equipment.

An additional 500 health workers have also been hired in the new health facilities.

Utility box:

Nakuru County has a total of 459 public and private health facilities spread across the county.

The county runs 184 health facilities including dispensaries, health centres, Level Four hospitals and Nakuru Level Five Hospital.

Of the 459, 14 are Level 4 and 5 hospitals, 22 health centres, 187 dispensaries and 249 community units offering level-one health services.

The county has only one Level 5 hospital that serves as a referral hospital for more than five counties including Nakuru, Kericho, Baringo, Nyandarua, Samburu and Narok.