Ambulance dispatch centre planned after governor found service gaps

Entrance of the outpatient section at Lodwar County and Referral Hospital on September 7, 2022.

Entrance of the outpatient section at Lodwar County and Referral Hospital on September 7, 2022.

Photo credit: Sammy Lutta | Nation Media Group

Health officials in Turkana have moved to streamline emergency health and referral services at the county referral hospital in Lodwar, barely a week after Governor Lomurukai's impromptu visit to the facility.

The governor established that there was only one operational ambulance at the hospital.

In a partnership with the Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation (EMKF), the Health department wants to strengthen ambulance services across the county, said Health Chief Officer Malcolm Lochodo.

They will set up "a comprehensive fleet management system that would include tracking, fuel management and generation of data for strategic planning", he said.

A central dispatch centre will be established, with ambulance staff trained to ensure that emergency and referral services operate efficiently and effectively.

This will address some of the challenges the department is facing, said County Director of Medical Services Gilchrist Lokoel.

The EMKF had pledged to support the department in developing a reliable and efficient ambulance management system, said Dr Benjamin Wachira, its executive director.

Contractors supplying fuel for referral and emergency services at public hospitals in the county were among those who protested the non-payment of over Sh800 million for their services in May.

County officials in March announced the establishment of a central command centre for managing the fleet of ambulances procured by the devolved unit and its development partners.

The goal was to efficiently use ambulances and utility vehicles in all seven sub-counties, but Governor Lomorukai discovered that the plan had failed the test of time.