Plan to ease pressure on major referral hospital

The county will soon strengthen its referral systems by linking households to community health units to ease pressure at the region's major referral facility, Jaramogi Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH).

Each Sub-county will have a hospital which will work as a hub.

The hub will be equipped with theatre, x-ray and good laboratories.

The equipment will facilitate ease in handling of referrals from dispensaries and health centers within the sub-county (spokes).

The hub-and-spoke model will be at Muhoroni in Muhoroni sub-county, Pap Onditi in Nyakach, Gita in Kisumu East, Chulaimbo in Kisumu West, Kisumu county Referral Hospital in Kisumu central, Nyando hospital in Ahero and Kombewa in Seme sub-county.

Administration will develop a mechanism to link the registered 306,697 House Holds to the dispensaries and health centers. 

At last week's Universal Health Coverage (UHC) conference in Kisumu, Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o (pictured) urged stakeholders to invest more funds in primary healthcare.

The governor said UHC cannot be achieved with a weak primary health care system. He said more funds are needed for prevention of illnesses at the community and for treatment of uncomplicated illnesses at dispensaries and health centers.

“Our hospitals should be left to handle complex problems. In order to achieve UHC, we must deliberately invest in community health services and primary health facilities,” Nyong’o said.