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The Nairobi City County Government has attributed the recent influx of patients to county health facilities to improved service delivery and upgraded infrastructure in hospitals.
Recent upgrade initiatives in the five major county hospitals have seen residents develop more trust in the public facilities resulting in high numbers of patients seeking services there.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko said more improvements should be expected.
“The influx is an indication that the public is gaining trust in our facilities,” said the Governor.
He spoke during an impromptu tour to county health centers including Mama Lucy hospital located in Embakasi.
County Health CEC Mohamed Dagane said despite the influx, no patient has or will be turned away.
“We cannot turn away the patients even if they come from our neighboring counties of Machakos, Kiambu, Kajiado and Murang’a,” said Dagane.
He said for the last two years there has been a significant increase in the number of patients visiting county health facilities.
In the latest figures released by the Nairobi Health Department, Pumwani Maternity Hospital leads with 42 per cent increase of patients seeking services over the last two years.
It is followed by Mbagathi Hospital with 32 per cent increase and then Mbagathi Hospital with 24 per cent.
“In Pumwani Maternity hospital alone for the last two years, the number of deliveries has risen from 11,169 to 19,267,” said Dagane.
At Mama Lucy Hospital over the last two years, the number of patients has increased from the previous 17,845 to 26,165.
At Mbagathi Hospital the number of patients recorded in the outpatient department has risen to 175,860 from 133,916.
According to Dagane, the same inflow of patients has been recorded in Nairobi County Level 2 and 3 hospitals across the country.
“We have witnessed the same in Kayole one, Kayole two, Lunga Lunga health center, Eastleigh health center, Westlands Health center among others,” stated Dagane.
In order to enhance service delivery in the health sector, the County government has immensely upgraded the Pumwani Maternity Hospital and will focus more on renovating Mbagathi, Mutuini and Mama Lucy hospitals this financial year.
In the 2019/20 financial year the Nairobi County allocated the lion’s share of it’s budget (21 per cent) to the health docket at Sh7.4 billion.
A huge amount of the budget has been set aside for the upgrade of county hospitals as well as improving supply of drugs in the county health facilities.
At Mama Lucy, Sh150 million will be used to complete a 70-bed new wing block hence more admission capacity.
The ongoing project at Mama Lucy hospital is almost complete.
The Governor said the county is determined to improve access to quality essential health care services and to ensure that the health sector plays its role in the realization of Vision 2030.
“Health care remains one of our main agenda and that is why we set aside a huge budget for the same in the current financial year,” Sonko said.
The Mbagathi District Hospital is also set for a major facelift after the county allocated Sh150 million shillings for its upgrade works.
The facelift will include construction of a new Intensive Care Unit, Outpatient Department, a new inpatient ward, a new laboratory among others.
Dagane said the facility will soon be a Level Five Hospital which will improve its uptake rate as well.
“With Sh150 million it means we are going to renovate the old maternity wing and set up an intensive care unit,” Dagane said.
To back the upgrade initiative, the county is set to recruit nurses and medical officers in all its facilities this financial year.
