Nyahururu-based Pope Benedict XVI hospital is seeking Shs.90 million to help establish an oxygen plant.
The hospital that has been on the forefront in the fight against Covid-19 in the region by providing testing, oxygen support to patients and isolation facilities, hopes to raise the amount to ease operation in the wake of Omicron variant that has hit the country.
Speaking on behalf of the hospital Board, Nyahururu Catholic Diocesan Bishop Joseph Mbatia said that the facility would come in handy in producing oxygen that was needed in theatres, pediatric wards and support for the Covid-19 patients to avert mortality.
“We have lost many lives due to the demand for oxygen that had risen in the recent past. We hope to set up this plant so that we can serve our patients with dignity and save lives,” noted Bishop Mbatia.
One of the medics at the hospital Dr. Ben Ochola regretted the desperate situation the hospital has found itself in in the recent past, noting it has grown from a 15 bed capacity in its isolation ward to setting up an ICU to cater for the critically ill.
“We attended up to 200 patients every week and this was overwhelming. As much as we pride in over 90 percent recovery, we lost quite a number that we would have been saved if we had our own oxygen to supplement what we sourced from Nakuru and Eldoret,” recalled Ochola, noting that many patients have since defaulted on payment of their bills that remain a huge burden to the hospital.
Ochola noted that the hospital also planned to expand its specialized services by setting up two extra ventilators at the ICU at a cost of Shs.7 million.
In its five-year strategic plan, the hospital that serves urban and rural populations, also hopes to fully provide mental healthcare once and was in the process of setting up a ward and staffing it at a cost of Shs.150 million. This, he said, was as a result of numerous mental health issues that had stemmed from Coronavirus pandemic.
By Anne Sabuni
