The private sector has been urged to team up with Nyeri County Government in its efforts to provide quality health care to the residents.
The Nyeri County Deputy Governor, Ms. Caroline Karugu on Wednesday,
said the County budgetary allocation of 30 per cent goes to the health sector, adding that a big chunk is directed to recurrent expenditure.
“We appreciate the fact that about 30 per cent of our county budget is going to the health sector, However, 80-90 per cent of these monies go into recurrent expenditure and there is very little left to go to infrastructural projects,” Karugu said.
Karugu was launching “adopt a ward initiative” of two surgical wards at the Nyeri County Referral Hospital which was started a year ago in full realization of the need in the health sector.
The Deputy Governor noted that some of the hospitals, including the Nyeri Referral Hospital are very old, almost 70 years old, with dilapidated structures, wards with pot holes and falling ceilings among others and therefore the need for the corporate world to supplement the county administration efforts to refurbish such crucial facilities.
Karugu noted that healing is a process of treatment, quality care a patient gets and the environment in which he recuperates.
“The environment here at Referral Hospital is wanting and there are some wards that have not been renovated,” she said.
She added that the private sector had come out in a big way, citing, Bimas Kenya Limited, a micro finance institution that adopted the two surgical wards and renovated them at a cost of Sh. 2.5 million.
“I am happy that our patients are enjoying the recuperating environment which is what we would like to see,” Karugu added.
She disclosed that the
has adopted the orthopedic ward and three more companies have pledged to team up with the government to provide quality health to the patients.
The Governor urged other companies to use their Corporate Social Responsibility budgets to supplement the county’s health needs for the benefit of the residents.
The Bimas Kenya Limited Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Patrick Gathondu, pointed out that “What is done at individual and corporate level is what transforms the society”.
Gathondu said no tangible development could be achieved by a society that is sickly and that there is need to have clients getting quality health care in a conducive environment.
He cautioned Kenyans against the culture of ever complaining but instead join concerted efforts to better the society.
“I urged everyone at an individual and corporate level to play a role in bettering our society.
Gathondu urged private companies to adopt a ward at health facilities to free the money that devolved units spend in rehabilitation works to buy drugs.
By Mwangi Gaitha/Julia Karugu
