Healthcare workers, patients and their attendants at public hospitals in Kwale will soon get purified drinking water, thanks to the county government's initiative to install reverse osmosis (RO) systems in all major hospitals across the coastal county.

Kwale County Government is embracing new technologies in providing desperately needed water scarcity solutions to healthcare facilities.

Reverse osmosis is one of the best methods for desalinating seawater into potable water and it is a highly efficient and cost-effective method.

The devolved government is embracing a reverse osmosis water purification system in a bid to expand the number of hospitals' access to reliable sources of water.

Reverse osmosis is a water purification process that uses a partially permeable membrane to separate ions, unwanted molecules and larger particles from drinking water.

Reverse osmosis removes contaminants from unfiltered water when pressure forces it through a semipermeable membrane.

Area Governor Fatuma Achani has launched the construction of a seawater reverse osmosis filtration technology plant at the Msambweni referral hospital.           

She says reverse osmosis is one of the best methods for the desalination of seawater in most parts of the world.

“The availability of safe potable water is a major problem in most of our public health facilities and that is why we have decided to implement this ambitious reverse osmosis scheme to provide clean water,” she said, adding that the project will later be extended to all public health centres.

Governor Achani, who also laid the foundation for the construction of a waiting bay at the mortuary section as well as grilling of the drugs store and blood bank in the referral facility, says the new plant is expected to produce over 5000 litres of purified water per hour that will sustainably support smooth running of different units in the facility.

She said the units include the renal unit, the new born Unit, theatre, laundry, sterilization department, and blood bank and pharmacy units.

“The reverse osmosis facility will remove impurities from Msambweni hospital’s current water supply system and also create new ultra-pure water source which is a critical element in running facilities such as dialysis machines,” she said adding that the RO projects will no doubt contribute to the overall health of the people.

She said the new plant once up and running will be producing reliable quality water that should be able to service the hospital’s needs for many years to come.

She said the county will use advanced RO systems in the vending machines to minimize water loss in the purification process.

The county boss also said the hospital will receive new mega water holding tanks which can be used to store excess water in a safe environment.

She said the reverse osmosis project comes as a relief as most parts of the county is experiencing prolonged drought where water is increasingly becoming scarce.