Nakuru defends turning of maternity wards to Covid-19 centre

Bondeni Hospital
naks

What you need to know:

  • The CEC said a standby ambulance has been placed to help ferry women to Margaret Kenyatta Mother Baby Wing.
  • There has been uproar over the move to convert the hospital into a Covid-19 isolation centre.
  • Bondeni Maternity Hospital has been revamped into state-of-the-art facility.

The Nakuru County government has defended its decision to turn the more 50-year-old Bondeni Maternity Hospital into a Covid-19 isolation centre.

In an interview with the Nation on Thursday, Health Executive Gichuki Kariuki said the move was part of a series of efforts aimed at putting in place proper preparations should there be a surge in Covid-19 infections.

“In Nakuru County, we are determined to do our best in terms of preparedness. The decision to convert Bondeni Maternity Hospital was well thought. Our aim is to prepare adequately should there be a surge in infections especially in the neighbouring Nakuru slum areas," said Dr Kariuki.

Standby ambulance

While reiterating that the county still has the interest of expectant mothers at heart, Dr Kariuki revealed that a standby ambulance has been placed at the Bondeni hospital to help ferry women to the Margaret Kenyatta Mother Baby Wing at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital and the nearby Rhonda Maternity Hospital.

"Most of the expectant mothers can still get maternal healthcare services at the Rhonda maternity which is a about a kilometre away. We have also provided an ambulance to rush expectant mothers to the Nakuru Level Five Hospital," said the county official.

Bondeni Maternity Hospital, which before the Covid-19 outbreak had been revamped into state-of-the-art facility, has been serving mothers from various slums including Kivumbini, Lake View, Kwa Rhoda, Kaptembwa, Flamingo, Kaloleni and Bondeni among others.

"We are cognisant of the fact that giving birth outside a hospital is a risky gamble especially in cases where expectant women run into unforeseen complications at night and during odd hours. But we have put in place proper mechanisms to ensure pregnant mothers will continue getting proper maternal healthcare services," he added.

Uproar

There has been uproar from residents, health experts and activists over the move to convert the hospital into a Covid-19 isolation centre.

Some health experts and activists said the move will erode the gains that have been realised in maternal healthcare in the region.

They claimed the move might put maternal healthcare in Nakuru County at stake as expectant mothers will have to seek for services kilometres away at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital.

This comes at a time when Nakuru continues recording surging numbers of Covid-19 positive cases. The county has recorded at least 400 positive cases.

Already, Nakuru has introduced home-based care for asymptomatic patients, with 60 people under the care according to the county health officials.

The Bondeni Maternity hospital isolation centre will have 80 beds.

1,000 isolation beds

According to Governor Lee Kinyanjui, the move is part of efforts by the county government, which currently has 458 beds in 19 hospitals, to establish at least 1,000 Covid-19 isolation beds.

"We have identified those that can quickly be converted into isolation centres in case the number of Covid-19 patients who need admission rises," Dr Kariuki told the Nation.

The county also seeks to convert part of a Sh600 million outpatient block at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital, whose construction is almost complete, into a 500-bed capacity isolation centre.

The Bondeni hospital was established in 1952 to take care of African women living in the South of the railway line in Nakuru town.