Naivasha hopes to save more lives with improved hospital

Workers at the new Naivasha Outpatient wing. [Anthony Gitonga, Standard]

The Nairobi-Nakuru highway has witnessed some of the worst accidents, which have also claimed many lives.

According to medical experts, the speed and efficiency in responding to accident victims’ immediate needs are key in saving such lives.

Naivasha Sub-county hospital, courtesy of its proximity to the highway and the Naivasha-Mai Mahiu road, has borne the burden of the accidents, yet it is understaffed and with inadequate medical equipment.

Now the number of accident victims who die while undergoing treatment is expected to reduce once the multimillion shilling Naivasha outpatient wing is completed. The Sh331 million facility is funded by KenGen, Nakuru County and the national government, and is expected to be complete by October.

The hospital’s superintendent Angeline Ithondeka said the facility had always been overwhelmed. “Many are those involved in motor vehicle and motorcycle accidents. With the new unit, deaths will reduce,” she said.

She added that due to lack of critical facilities and specialised doctors, they were often referring patients to Nakuru Provincial General Hospital or the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi.

“Under the new outpatient wing, we will offer services like CT scan and save more lives,” she said.

According to Ithondeka, currently, the facility is serving over 600 patients daily.

They expect the number to triple as new infrastructure projects are being set up in Naivasha. “We also expect a rise in the town’s population. This hospital has been designed to offer services that were not available,” she said.

While thanking KenGen, she said the national government was expected to provide medical equipment and the county to deal with staffing.

Project manager Moses Nthiga said KenGen took part in the initiative to give back to the community. “KenGen has injected Sh300 million into this hospital and the county has contributed an additional Sh31 million,” he said.

Nthiga said the hospital would be serving over 2,000 patients daily by 2030. “This new wing will be able to deal with the population because it has a major laboratory, trauma centre, pharmacy, dental and baby to mother wing,” he said.