The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has donated four ventilators to Isiolo County Government’s health department.
The equipment will be used at the Isiolo County Referral Hospital to aid in critical health care particularly for patients suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The USAID representative Rosemary Njogu yesterday said that the new ventilators had capacity to support the critically ill patients for hours even when the power fails.
She noted that in addition to the ventilators, the county health department had also benefited from a donation of other assorted consumables such as KN95 facemasks.
Ms. Njogu added that the USAID would continue to support such initiatives following the good relationship it has with Isiolo people, through the county government administration.
The County CEC in-charge of Health Services Wario Galma said that the County government already had seven ventilators at the Isiolo Referral Hospital, adding that the additional four would increase the ICU Capacity at the facility to 11.
He noted that the support would improve the delivery of quality services offered at the critical care unit.
The County Chief Officer in-charge of Health Services Ibrahim Alio lauded the USAID for the intervention, noting that the donation was in honour of an earlier request made to the American Embassy by the County Governor Mohamed Kuti.
He said that the critical care unit at the Isiolo Referral Hospital now has 37 trained staff that is competent in managing and operating the equipment.
Alio also revealed that USAID had earlier supported the County government to improve the laboratory, pharmacy, water system as well as nutritional support through a programme known as ‘Nawiri’.
By David Nduro
