Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu.
The national government has upgraded the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) in Kisumu to a Level 6 facility.
Locals in Kisumu commonly refer to it as 'Russia Hospital', a name coined because of the good relations between Kenya and the Russian government.
The JOOTRH is one of the oldest health facilities in the country, serving thousands of patients in the Western region.
The hospital is located along the Kakamega-Kisumu Highway just before Kondele Police Station on a 55.6 acre land.
The elevation comes after a recent evaluation and inspection conducted by the Kenya Health Professional Oversight Authority (KHPOA).
Kisumu County Government had initially requested the national government to take over the running of the facility due to financial constraints.
According to the JOOTRH administration, the health oversight body awarded the facility a score of 85 per cent after a recent inspection on August 1, 2023.
But what does the upgrading of the public hospital to a Level 6 facility means to local residents?
For starters, with the Ministry of Health taking over the facility, it shall be on the same level with Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), and Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital (KUTRH) which are run by the national government.
Funds
Another advantage the facility is bound to have is the unlocking of funds especially from the national government and other partners, therefore enhancing the quality of services offered to residents.
Currently, 70 per cent of the hospital's resources come from the county government.
The regional referral hospital is serving patients drawn from 10 counties within the Lake Region Economic Bloc.
This has however been a thorn in the flesh of Governor Anyang' Nyong’o's administration since it had to run the Level 5 facility at its own operation cost.
Surgeries and procedures
According to the County Chief Executive Committee Member of Health Dr Gregory Ganda, the upgrading of JOOTRH means that the facility will now be equipped with both professional personnel and medical equipment to conduct high-level surgeries and save residents the agony of having to travel far to undergo such medical procedures.
Currently, the facility has 11 functional operational theatres, including general, Accident & Emergency, and three dedicated maternity theatres.
Service Delivery
The upgrade is expected to improve medical service delivery. For instance, the creation of consultation rooms to promote patients' privacy.
With sufficient funding, the facility can procure essential pharmaceutical products to improve access to quality care.
The hospital plans to erect relevant signage in respective service areas to ease the flow of service provision to patients.
JOOTRH has a 13-bed ICU with operational patient monitors.
Cancer
Already the county government had started the construction of a cancer centre. But with financial challenges the project stalled.
With these hitches, Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Susan Nakhumicha pledged Sh100 million to complete the construction of the cancer centre.
If completed, the cancer centre will ultimately reduce the need for patients to travel long distances for cancer treatment.
Celestine Agutu, a resident of Kisumu said that it will be a relief for cancer patients and those with chronic illnesses who currently seek services in Eldoret and Nairobi.
“When the resources are available for the public facility, then there will be enough budget allocation and equipment to take care of the needs of the residents,” said Ms Agutu.
Presently, the regional referral hospital offers oncology services for both adults and children.
Recommendations
The health oversight authority pointed out that the facility needed to improve waste management within the hospital, increase the number of staff and streamline its emergency preparedness and outpatient department.
The authority also proposed that JOOTRH expand the Emergency and Accident department to accommodate more patients.
Previously the facility has been on the receiving end with complaints of drug shortage, blood and generally slow service delivery.
Kevin Otieno, a resident of Kisumu suggests that the national government employs more health workers at the facility to manage the increasing number of patients seeking medical attention.
“The hospital needs to recruit additional staff, including critical care nurses, general nurses, medical officers, specialists and medical officer interns. This may necessitate increased budgetary allocations to support the growing workload,” said Mr Otieno.
JOOTRH currently acts as a training ground for medical students from Maseno and Uzima universities.
During a recent visit to the facility, CS Nakhumicha applauded Governor Nyong'o's administration for surrendering the management of JOOTRH to the national government and castigated some county governments that have clung to similar big health facilities, under the guise of generating on-source revenue at the expense of poor service delivery.
“This is not good thinking because it has an effect on service delivery. Our people need quality health services closer to them and we must have a discussion on how to run these facilities and even the sharing of revenue,” she said.
