Nakuru County has taken measures that prioritize the health and well-being of patients, through incorporating restorative power of nature in the healthcare services.
This is through planting of different species of flowers and trees in Healthcare facilities that has a therapeutic benefit such as relieving stress, enhancing the overall well-being of patients and creating an environment conducive for their recovery.
Speaking when she led a massive tree and flower planting exercise at Bondeni Sub-County Hospital, today, County Executive for Health Services Roselyn Mungai, acknowledged the role of nature in promoting mental well-being of patients and the shared responsibility in protecting it for the benefit of current and future generations.
The initiative was a collaborative effort between the Health Services Department, Management of the Hospital and the facility’s Community Health Promoters (CHPs) who were appointed earlier this year to assist the government in achieving universal healthcare through the prevention of diseases and assisting the elderly in getting their medications on time.
Ms Mungai noted that since time immemorial, flowers have played a fundamental role in society due to their liveliness, harmony, and contribution to longevity, and that is the major reason relatives carry flowers to their patients while admitted in hospitals.
However, she declined to comment on the one month long doctors’ strike organized by the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentist Union, which has paralyzed medical facilities all over the country.
Additionally, she said since time immemorial, flowers have played an important role in society due to their beauty and they are used as ornamental purposes in various spaces, whether in pots, gardens, landscaping, or as cut flower arrangements in containers.
Apart from that she said there was a need to make hospital compounds look appealing not only to patients, but also to health workers who spend inordinate amounts of time at the health facilities for the support of their mental health wellbeing.
By Veronica Bosibori
