Residents of Busia have welcomed this week’s announcement by President William Ruto to the effect that his administration will expand and upgrade the Busia County Referral Hospital.
Locals say the move will transform the hospital into a fully-fledged medical facility, ensuring medical services are accessible and affordable for the local population.
During his recent visit to the area, which also saw him inaugurate the Male Surgical Ward, a project that was carried out in collaboration with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) at a cost of Kshs 100 million, President Ruto disclosed that the hospital will be equipped with specialized, state-of-the-art Management Equipment Service (MES) facilities, including an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Dialysis machines, and X-ray equipment.
This in addition with deployment of necessary medical personnel.
The improvement of the facility is expected to significantly reduce the need for patients to travel to neighboring cities such as Kisumu or Eldoret to access specialized medical services.
According to the head of state, despite having advanced medical equipment, the hospital had been underutilized due to the lack of medical specialists. He directed Cabinet Secretary for Health, Susan Nakhumicha to expedite the recruitment of specialists, enabling the operationalization of vital medical equipment.
The expansion project will boost the hospital’s bed capacity from 200 to 296, demonstrating a substantial increase in its ability to accommodate patients.
Area Governor Dr. Paul Otuoma acknowledged that there were still operational gaps that needed attention to elevate the hospital’s status to a full-fledged level 5 facility.
Otuoma said he was committed to working collaboratively with the National Government on various priority areas that would contribute to the economic growth and development of his County.
Gene Gituku
Absalom Namwalo
