Waititu unveils second kidney treatment unit in county

The five storey medical complex which is almost complete at Gatundu District Hospital.The market is just one of the many development projects that the government has initiated in the constituency. [Kamau Maichuhie, Standard]

The county has set up a renal unit at the Gatundu Level Five Hospital.

Governor Ferdinand Waititu said the unit would help decongest Thika Level Five Hospital - the nearest public health facility offering dialysis.

The new unit is equipped with five dialysis machines and can handle up to 10 patient a daily.

“The dialysis will be free for all people with National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) cards. This includes drugs and laboratory services. The demand for dialysis has been rising and we intend to increase the capacity of the renal unit to 10 machines and hire more staff so that we can serve more patients,” Mr Waititu said.

Many patients from the neighbouring Murang’a, Machakos, Nairobi and Kirinyaga counties have been seeking treatment in Thika since the renal unit was opened in 2016.

Waititu said the county was committed to improving healthcare and becoming a destination for heath tourism. He cautioned leaders in the area against politicising health matters.

The governor also presided over the opening of a state-of-the-art CT scan machine at the Thika Level Five Hospital.

The health chief officer, Andrew Toro, said there were plans to open another renal unit at the Kiambu Level Five Hospital.

Neighbouring counties

He said the three renal units would offer a reprieve to kidney patients from the area and neighbouring counties who for a long time have had to travel to Kenyatta National Hospital or visit private clinics.

“The opening of these facilities is a major milestone as far as health is concerned. They will reduce inconveniences, deaths and complications,” said Dr Toro.

He advised residents who have not enrolled in NHIF to do so in order to gain access to health services in all county hospitals.

The county's health sector has been in the spotlight recently, with reports that patients were suffering because of lack of basic requirements such as blankets.

According to Governor Waititu, the county has ordered 500 new blankets to address the shortage.

He said 200 blankets had already been delivered and that the rest would arrive soon.

Last week, Waititu launched a consignment of drugs worth Sh12 million.  More drugs are expected in two weeks.