Rotary International has donated a brand new Ambulance to Ratious’ through Christ (RTC) Medical Centre in Rachuonyo South Constituency, Homa Bay County to facilitate referral cases from the remotest parts of the region.
The Ambulance worth over Sh6 million was handed over Monday to the Centre Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Samuel Otieno Tambo by the President Elect (PE) of Rotary Club of Suna-Migori ,Mr Lawrence Akoko.
Speaking during the brief taking/handing over ceremony at the facility, Mr Tambo hailed the group of the Rotary International clubs that provided funds towards the course.
He noted that the donation would go a long way in saving lives of patients referred to far flung health facilities for specialised treatment.
Mr Tambo said the Ambulance would play a major role within the Centre and the entire County as the region still operates on a serious deficit of Ambulance services.
“We have been losing lives especially of mothers and young children seeking emergency medication in far flung hospitals due to lack of specialised transport means,” noted Tambo.
The CEO who is also a Rotarian member of an International Club said he sought the donation of the Ambulance through the Rotary Club of Suna-Migori after he witnessed a bizarre death of a child within the area because of a delay in rushing the sick child to a bigger hospital as a result of lack of specialised transport.
“The child who urgently needed oxygen and safe referral means to another bigger health facility could not survive the over 20 kilometres rough journey at the back of a pick-up racing on bumpy earth-road that chilly night,” he explained.
Mr Akoko whose club partnered with the Rotary International Clubs to transact the purchase and the delivery of the Ambulance hailed the Centre for operating a private health facility in the area.
He asked the management to use the facility well and offer affordable medical services to save the lives of the local poor population.
“As members of the Rotary family, we will continue to champion efforts to change the lives of our people by ensuring that the population enjoys a clean environment and is safe from opportunistic diseases,” he added.
As per the tradition, Rotary Clubs in the country in collaboration with their International counterparts, through well-organised systems, have for years been implementing projects that aim to mitigate problems of lack of safe drinking water, poor sanitation, girls’ menstrual health, environmental protection and child education among others.
In view of this trend, the Rotary Club of Suna-Migori has been seriously engaged in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects worth millions of shillings in a span of six years.
Some of the WASH projects so far handled by the club are, the Kuna water and sanitation project worth over Sh7 million in Homa Bay County, Rusinga and Got Kachola water and sanitation projects at a cost of Sh6 million in Homa bay and Migori Counties respectively and, several projects that provided primary schools with water tanks and modern toilet facilities.
The Club has also been involved in the provision of sanitary towels to school girls and planting of trees in schools and public lands.
“We are at the moment working on a plan to establish a public Library in Migori town in partnership with our Rotary International Clubs and the Migori County Government,” said Mr.Akoko.
By George Agimba
