Medical Services minister Prof. Anyang Nyong’o yesterday officially received the new Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital Embakasi from the Chinese government.
The 112-bed capacity referral hospital located in Kayole is expected to serve at least 2 million people in Nairobi’s Eastlands area. The Level IV hospital has ultra modern wards and facilities especially for mother-child care facilities like ultra sound scanners, incubators, and mammogram machines.
The Chinese government funded the construction of the district level hospital, which lasted for only 14 months at a cost of sh544 million. An estimated sh417 million was used for civil works while sh117 million went towards purchase of medical equipment.
Speaking during the official handover and take over ceremony, Prof Nyong’o thanked the Chinese government for the construction of the facility and said that it was part of his ministry’s efforts to take medical services closer to the people.
“The new hospital is useful in health service delivery not only in Nairobi east District but also to the entire residents of the city and its neighbouring counties,” the minister said.
According to the minister, the government through the Medical Reform Agenda is working to provide better quality and affordable health care, in a bid to reform the health sectors, especially the service providers.
“There are countrywide rehabilitation programmes that are ongoing in 23 health centres in order to improve the quality of medical services being provided to the local people,” he said.
The Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital Embakasi is expected to ease the strain on Kenyatta National Hospital by being the second referral hospital in Nairobi area.
The hospital currently provides outpatient services and is expected to offer inpatient pediatric services before the end of this month. Prof Nyong’o was upbeat that the hospital will begin to offer maternity services, theatre services, medical admissions and surgical admissions by early next year.
Speaking during the same event, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Guangyuan said that the construction of the hospital is part of the fruitful cooperation between Kenya and china. He termed the relationship between the two countries as long-term, stable and mutually beneficial.
Embakasi MP Fedinard Waititu thanked President Kibaki and First Lady Lucy Kibaki for singling out Embakasi constituency as the beneficiary of the project. He further promised to make sure that access to water and security situation in the area is improved.
Mr. Waititu however asked the government to build a Medical Training centre next to the hospital and requested that in future, Embakasi residents to be given priority for employment opportunities in the hospital.
Mr. Waititu further asked the Ministry of Medical services to ensure the hospital charges should be sensitive to some of the area residents who are from low-income households. But the minister assured those present the hospital’s charges will be according to its level.
The hospital was named after the first lady in recognition of her efforts to secure funding for the project and her role in the location of the project. The name was proposed by the district development committee and announced by Prof Nyong’o through a Kenya Gazette Notice no. 8009 of June 20, 2011.
Later in the evening their was commotion as word went round that the hospital was offering free medical services up to the end o the day, thousands of area residents flocked doctors waiting rooms waiting to be served for free, albeit for a few hours.
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