Germany has handed over an eye unit to the Taveta County government at Moi County Referral Hospital as part of a medical collaboration aimed at strengthening the provision of eye-healthcare services in the region.
The construction of the Sh 25 million eye centre was funded by the German non-profit NGO Deutsches Blindenhilfswerk (DBHW) and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation through Salus Oculi Kenya.
Speaking during the handover ceremony on Thursday, DBHW Simone Henzler said the completion of the first phase of the project was a testament to the rewarding partnerships between the county and development partners. She also stated that the eye unit would serve patients with visual challenges in the region and beyond.
“We are glad to have partnered to have this phase of the project come to completion and help serve those people who will need eye services,” she said.
Though the referral hospital has been running a small eye unit that was faced with challenges of confined space, the fully-fledged eye unit will now have its own stand-alone building, compound, and adequate space. Poised to be one of the biggest in the Coast region, the unit boasts of a theater, sluice rooms, male and female wards, sterilisation, and scrub rooms.
Governor Andrew Mwadime hailed the project as one of the most critical in terms of enhancing eye healthcare for thousands of residents suffering from eye ailments. He stated that the county will continue to engage donors and partners in a bid to woo them to establish more facilities that will serve the residents.
The governor said his administration would work with all partners in a bid to deliver projects and bring development to the region.
“This eye unit is the fruit of our engagement with partners. We are grateful for that, and we ask others to join us in promoting development and uplifting the lives of our people,” he said.
The handing over ceremony was also attended by Deputy Governor Christine Kilalo, several members of the County Assembly, and senior health officials.
County Executive Committee Member for Health Gifton Mkaya said that the next phase would be to equip the facility with modern equipment that will elevate the eye-care services in the hospital.
“We will now embark on equipping the unit to make it one of the best. We are committed to serving our people and bringing all services to them,” he said.
The second phase of equipping the facility will consume Sh50 million. After equipping, the medics and eye specialists will undergo intensive capacity building to equip them with the skills to run the unit.
Already, the county has a resident ophthalmologist who is expected to be in charge of the unit.
Some of the common eye ailments in Taita-Taveta County include allergic conjunctivitis, cataracts, and pseudo-exfoliation. There are also cases of glaucoma and conjunctivitis.
By Wagema Mwangi
