The Kisumu County government has procured eight state of the art ambulances to step up emergency and referral services in the area.
Under the programme, each Sub-county will receive one ambulance connected to a central ambulatory management system for effective coordination and management.
The County Governor, Prof. Anyang Nyong’o said the county ambulatory and emergency services system would ensure that patients in need of emergency services and referrals are reached on time.
“The system is ICT based and patients and health facilities shall be able to locate and access the nearest ambulance at the click of a button,” he said.
Speaking outside his office where he flagged off one of the ambulances, Prof. Nyong’o said additional ambulances were expected to be delivered in a fortnight’s time.
The ambulances, he said have modern life support equipment and shall be operated by experienced paramedics trained by the county government.
He said the county government has put measures in place to ensure that the referral system works adding that the ambulances shall hasten the process of referring patients from lower health facilities.
Kisumu, which is among the four counties piloting the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme, has seen an influx in the number of patients seeking free treatment.
This has exerted pressure on the existing health facilities with some patients seeking treatment directly at referral facilities.
“We want the referral system to work so that patients make use of dispensaries and health centers. Only those who cannot be managed at that level should be referred to higher levels,” said the governor.
By Chris Mahandara
