The Kilifi county government has unveiled a new specialised emergency health services unit fully equipped with paramedics and ambulances.
Governor Gideon Mung’aro also launched a renal unit and a warehouse to store medicines to be supplied to the different health facilities.
The renal unit has three beds for kidney patients but in two weeks there will be an additional 13 to raise bed capacity to 16.
“Now the kidney patients who used to travel for a long distance to access the services can be treated in Kilifi hospital instead of going to Mombasa or Malindi,” Mung'aro said.
The county government has registered 8,000 people for NHIF and has set aside Sh 60 million to register more people.
Paramedics have been trained on emergency services to cover the county.
The governor said there is a doctor on standby who will be issuing instructions on how the patients are handled.
“All ambulance services are free as I stated during campaigns, unless one wants an ambulance to take him to Mombasa hospital because that will show he is rich. But those who will be going to government health facilities including Coast General will be transferred for free,” he said.
Kilifi Deputy Governor Flora Chibule said previously there were complaints from the public regarding poor health services.
She said with the new projects initiated the county is now counting its blessings attributed to the team constituted to do the work.
Chibule said they are the second county to launch CIDP and so far, Kilifi moved from number 37 to 17 and was headed to the top.
“We must continue with this work so that the popularity of our county goes higher and higher. We were the second to launch CIDP, now on the issue of development, public participation and everything we have moved from 37 to 17,” he said.
Kilifi CEC for health Peter Mwarogo said the renal unit will reduce congestion at the Malindi subcounty hospital.
He said they built the warehouse to store enough drugs for continuous supply to health facilities.
“The emergency unit is important because we found the response to emergencies was not adequate, that’s why we set out a special unit for the emergency response,” he said.
Chief officer health David Mulewa said the renal unit was key to helping dealing with kidney problems which have drained the funds of many families leading to poverty.
He said now all patients with kidney problems from Kilifi and outside will access the services.
“We have bought new ambulances. They are not just vehicles they have equipment to assist even critical patients anywhere anytime,” he said.
