The Council of Governors Health committee wants campaign against HIV/Aids infections heightened to end the menace in the country by 2030 as projected.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony of 53 nurses at PCEA Chogoria Hospital Clive Irvine College of Health Sciences on Friday, the committee chairman Muthomi Njuki said the country witnessed an increase in HIV/Aids infections this year for the first time in 10 years.
The Tharaka Nithi Governor said although his county had registered a drop in the infections for the last five years; his government is set to roll out a serious campaign against the disease.
He lauded PCEA Chogoria Hospital for being a champion of the fight against HIV/Aids in the region.
“I am appealing to the country’s health sector and other health players to come up with robust campaign strategies which will see HIV/Aids infection rate drop as the country targets to end it by 2030,” Mr Njuki said.
The data released during the recent World Aids Day indicated that the country had recorded an increase in new HIV/aids infections for the first time in a decade with more than 2,000 cases from 32,025 to 34, 540.
34,540 new cases
Last year alone, the country recorded 34,540 HIV/Aids new cases with the report attributing the increase to the constant new infections among children, adolescents and younger people.
The county boss said though some health facilities do not have enough medical staff, the country produces more health professionals than it can absorb.
He regretted that even after national government entered into an agreement with the UK government that would see many local graduates secure jobs there, ‘very few’ had benefited.
He said many of the graduates fail the basic communication tests, hindering them from securing plum jobs.
Mr Njuki said his government had collaborated with a UK institution in establishing a career centre at Chuka County Referral Hospital where fresh graduates will be taught communication skills and other examinable knowledge before taking the examination.
“With this career centre, our medical graduates will successfully secure jobs in the UK and reduce the number of jobless medics in the country,” he said.
The county chief lauded the graduates and urged them to offer quality services to the people.
He also asked them to volunteer in various health facilities to acquire more experience and increase their employment chances.
The PCEA Chogoria Hospital Chief Executive Officer Elijah Mwaura said the institution recently celebrated 100 years of existence and that its target is to continue scaling up services.
He noted that being the only Level VI hospital in the county, it plays a key role in offering specialised health services.
He said the college is committed to producing quality graduates.
