The National government decision to lease multi-million shillings modern imaging and CT scan equipment to the Counties six years ago has ensued quality medical services to patients.
Hundreds of sick Kenyans who had earlier been forced to travel long distances from Kericho to Eldoret or to Nairobi for imaging and CT scan services a relieved lot nowadays as the equipment to investigate and diagnose their ailments are readily available at Kericho referral hospital.
The same facilities are equally available in every other two public major hospitals in the 47 Counties in the Country.
Kericho Medical Superintendent Dr. Japheth Cheruiyot said that local Referral hospital now boast of five modern Dialysis Machines, a mammography, the orthopantomagraphy (OPG), a general X- ray and Mobile X- ray machines.
Other medical equipment are Image intensifier for theater, the ECG electrocardiography, Ultrasound, the Computerized Tomography (C T Scan) Machine and a 64 slice Machine.
(OPG) Orthopantomagraphy is for dental X-ray and operate under a 3 D form. It’s also used to capture lateral view of the skull while Mammography equipment is used for breast scan for both male and females.
He added the hospital is also equipped with two modern Sterilizing machines, (S.C.C.D.), two theater tables, and assorted instruments sets adding all equipment are well serviced and fully functional.
On an average day, Dr. Cheruiyot said that they attend to nearly 60 patients who visits the hospital in search of imaging services alone.
“We also attend to five to eight patients who come for dialysis daily. We expect to receive another four sets of dialysis machines and effectively attend to the many patients who are usually on the queue for the dialysis medication,” Dr. Cheruiyot said.
Speaking to KNA the Kericho County Chief health Officer Dr. David Ekuwam said that they were now expanding the hospital Dialysis facility to accommodate the additional machines that the couty government plans to procure soon.
Dr. Ekuwam said that the County government is in the process of buying another six dialysis machines. The renal unit at the referral hospital can only accommodate five patients at a go and as a result more than 12 patients are on the waiting list daily.
Dr. Ekuwam praised the government for forming the County Development and Implementation Coordination Committee (CDICC), saying unlike before, the committee has ensured prompt supplies of dialysis consumables.
Dr. Ekuwam said that the devolved unit also plans to purchase a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Machine (MRI) to be installed at Kericho referral hospital.
At Kapkatet district hospital in Bureti there are now three dialysis machines and a CT Scan Machine which was purchased by the national government through the NG-CDF.
A recent visit by the CDICC committee led by Kericho County Commissioner Mr. Moses Mbaruku and the director of Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) Ms. Mohamed Khadija established machines leased to the referral hospital were fully functional.
A patient who has been receiving dialysis services at the hospital, Mr. Kiptanui arap Mengich, 61, hailed the national and county governments for taking great steps to bring dialysis machines and other equipment to assist poor Kenyans.
Another patient Sarah Kigen, 59, who sought chest X ray thanked Jubilee administration for prioritizing the health of Kenyans through the provision advanced X–ray machines at the hospital.
Soin-Sigowet sub county hospital medical superintendent Dr. Peter Rotich said that the health facility’s theater has been rehabilitated.
Dr. Rotich said that theater 1 and 2 were now in operation and fully equipped. The C.S.S.D, (sterilization machine) room had also been completed and was ready for machine installation. The radiology department with all the radiology machines was also in operation and fully equipped.
Back to Kericho referral hospital, major operations including heart surgeries have been taking place thanks to the machines donated by the national government.
The hospital is situated within Kericho town and boasts of being one of the cleanest health units in the region. It is manned by several highly qualified medical personnel including surgeons and specialists.
Hundreds of residents throng the facility for medication daily.
By Dominic Cheres
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