There is renewed hope for Mwea residents in Kirinyaga County as the county government commences the upgrading of Kimbimbi Level 3 hospital to a level four hospital.
Construction of a three-storey hospital will enable the over 50 years’ old facility to offer advanced medical services for which the residents have always been referred to other facilities.
Governor Anne Waiguru said the expanded hospital would be equipped with modern diagnostic medical equipment to handle specialized treatment in order to boost the implementation of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for people living in the Mwea constituency and its environs.
She said the facility, which serves an average of 300 patients daily, caters for people drawn from the extensive Mwea East and Mwea West sub-counties as well as some residents of the neighbouring Mbeere area of Embu County.
“The upgrading will save the beneficiaries from traveling to the county referral hospital in Kerugoya for services such as surgical procedures,” Waiguru said.
“The upgrading means that the level of services that the hospital has been offering will now be more advanced as the hospital will be outfitted with equipment and medical personnel befitting a level four hospital,” Waiguru added.
She said the complex will have a 240-bed inpatient capacity, an accident and emergency area, a major theater, male and female medical wards, male and female surgical wards, and pediatric wards.
In affirming her commitment to leave a legacy in the health sector, Waiguru said she has prioritized the improvement of health facilities to ensure access to affordable and quality medical services for the people of Kirinyaga.
Kimbimbi Hospital is being upgraded alongside Kianyaga Hospital, which is also poised to be elevated from level three to level four.
Jane Wangui, a resident of Kimbimbi said upgrading of the hospital has come to save them from spending money in private hospitals or on transport to Kerugoya hospital to seek for specialized services. She thanked the governor for prioritizing the provision of accessible healthcare for the residents.
Beatrice Gatimu who hails from Nyangati echoed Wangui’s sentiments saying that they expected the new hospital to have the equipment and medical personnel who would attend to their needs without costly referrals that at times delay treatment. “At times we have even been forced to raise funds for people to go to Kenyatta Hospital for treatment,” she said.
She said the improvement of the two hospitals would complement the upcoming Kerugoya Level Five hospital complex, which is hailed as one of the largest medical facilities in the Mt. Kenya region.
The five-storey medical complex will have state-of-the-art amenities such as an ICU, a HDU, a cancer center, and an oxygen plant among other facilities required to offer specialized referral services.
At the same time, Governor Waiguru has embarked on the opening of 19 dispensaries, which her government has been working to complete. The facilities, which had been left incomplete by the previous regime, will increase access to primary healthcare by residents.
Kianjiru and Kiamwathi dispensaries were opened two weeks ago while others lined up for opening include Kiaumbui and Kiandai.
By Irungu Mwangi
