Nairobi was for a long time the epitome of inadequate and inefficient healthcare services. Due to poor planning, other economic activities were given priority at the expense of the wellbeing of Nairobi residents.
However, since inception, the Nairobi City County Government has invested heavily in the provision of healthcare, health infrastructure, medicines and personnel. The climax of these efforts came when we hired 226 health sector workers last week who cut various across various specialities, from nurses to medical specialists. The new health staff will complement the 211 health workers appointed under the Economic Stimulus Programme, bringing the total to 437 appointments.
Our success will be measured not by these numbers but how healthcare services provided by the county improves the lives of Nairobians. We are more concerned with achieving quality and affordable healthcare for all. Even with the current crisis facing the sector across the country, quality of healthcare has improved immensely. For a start, Sh8 billion, representing 27 per cent of our annual budget of Sh31 billion, has been allocated to health. This is to ensure Nairobi residents have a wide choice in as far as health facilities are concerned. Our health facilities treat about 8.5 million Nairobians annually
A lot has been happening in the capital’s health sector; for instance Korogocho health centre this year unveiled a 12-bed maternity wing. The 120-bed maternity wing at the Mbagathi Hospital launched in October 2014 is operational and the results are impressive. No maternal death has been reported in the hospital in the last six months. Last month, Mukuru Health Centre unveiled a 24-hour Sh20million 24-bed maternity wing. We continue to rehabilitate and improve Pumwani Maternity hospital, the largest maternity hospital in sub-Saharan Africa, where at least 80 babies are delivered daily.
Pumwani maternity school of midwifery offers courses for basic and post basic nurses, and is a teaching institution for doctors. The hospital currently accommodates 150 newborns. So far 20 incubators and ambulances have been provided. The county government also plans to expand the 30 capacity bed Mutuini district hospital to 100 beds by the end of the year. Soon, we will unveil our state-of-the-art Lady Northey dental clinic along State House road.
In Mama Lucy Hospital, staffing of doctors and nurses is at an advanced stage. Monies have been set aside for completion of ongoing construction within the facility. Ngara (providing maternity services), Karen, Dandora, Riruta and Mathare North health services have all been converted into 24-hour facilities. The county government alone cannot provide everything needed in healthcare with the limited budgets even at the national government level. That’s why we are also pursuing Public Private Partnerships (PPP). So far, we are targeting modernisation of Pumwani, Mbagathi Sub District Hospital and Mutuini District Hospital through PPP arrangement. We have been negotiating with financiers to invest Shh1.2 billion to make Pumwani a better facility for service delivery, training and research. Let’s all work towards a healthy Nairobi.
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