Kilifi County government made a significant milestone in the health sector after unveiling a new renal dialysis unit, emergency medical services, and a mega medical warehouse at the Kilifi Referral Hospital aimed at improving health service delivery.
The establishment of the renal unit equipped with the latest dialysis technology will be a big relief to many patients who had to travel long distances to find medication in Mombasa and Malindi.
Kilifi County Governor Gideon Mung’aro, speaking during the launch of the equipment, said that the renal unit has a few beds, but more will be added to accommodate more patients.
“We have also launched a new renal dialysis unit that now has 3 beds, but we will be adding 13 more beds in the next few weeks. This unit reaffirms our commitment to addressing the diverse healthcare needs of our community,” he said.
The emergency medical unit, which has its dispatch centre at the Kilifi referral hospital, is adequately equipped with modern equipment, four state-of-the-art ambulances, and over 30 highly trained paramedics who will provide emergency medical care 24/7.
The governor, who presided over the flagging off of the zero-mileage ambulances during the ceremony, told the public that the emergency services would be free of charge to all public hospitals within the county.
“When you elected me to be your governor, I announced that ambulance services in Kilifi County will be free of charge. Nobody should be charged anything to get ambulance services in this county,” he said.
As the county grappled with inadequate medicine in its public hospitals, the governor unveiled a mega warehouse that will help in storing medical products to ensure a continuous supply of medicines in all 150 public health facilities.
The warehouse is well-designed to accommodate a wide range of medical products, including pharmaceuticals, lab reagents, radiology products, and other general supplies.
During an interview with the media, Kilifi County Executive Committee (CEC) member for Health and Sanitation Peter Mwarogo disclosed that more medical facilities were underway as the county plans to buy more ambulances and employ more paramedics to serve the whole region more efficiently.
“We now have 31 paramedics in the emergency medical services unit. Every year we will be buying a new ambulance and, in turn, hiring more paramedics. By the end of this year, we are looking to have added 10 more ambulances,” he explained.
He further stated that the launch of the emergency medical services unit is aimed at ensuring quick and effective response to emergencies to save more lives.
Citing a recent accident in Vipingo, the Health and Sanitation CECM assured of the effectiveness of the new emergency medical services unit as they were able to attend to the victims promptly with the help of the Red Cross, Mombasa Cement, and Kenya Emergency Support.
Chief Executive Officer of Kilifi County Health Department, Dr. James Mulewa, explained that the county warehouse would ensure that hospitals in Kilifi do not lack medicine at any point in time.
“We have enough medicine in stock at the county warehouse, and therefore no hospital in Kilifi will ever lack medicine for their patients,” he said.
Mohamed Said, a resident from Sokoni ward, expressed his gratitude for the launch of the renal dialysis unit at the hospital, saying that it would ease the burden of travelling to Mombasa to get treatment for kidney problems.
“We used to have to transport our patients to Mombasa for treatment. Others would die on the way. But now we have a renal dialysis unit that is easily accessible to Kilifi residents,” he said.
By Jackson Msanzu and Cynthia Maseno
