The Kapsabet County Referral Hospital has been upgraded to a level 5 health facility following major facelifts during the last two years.
Nandi Health executive Ruth Koech on Thursday said residents should expect better services at reduced costs at the 2oo-bed capacity hospital.
Last week, Deputy President William Ruto laid a foundation stone for a new four-storey Sh400 million Mother Baby Hospital wing with a new 350-bed unit.
Once completed, the facility will become the second-largest hospital in the North Rift region after Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
It was handling an average of 1,000 patients daily; both in and outpatient.
With the recent commissioning of an Oxygen plant and state-of-the-art CT scan, Koech said the cost of treating patients had drastically reduced.
Nandi will now be generating Oxygen for neighbouring counties of Vihiga, Kericho and Kakamega which have been buying from Kisii Level 5 Hospital.
“Patients have been forced to travel to MTRH in Eldoret for CT-scan services. That is now part of our past,” Koech said.
The hospital will receive part of the 10 brand new Toyota Hiace heavy-duty ambulances to be delivered in a week.
The eight Land Cruisers will be deployed to the subcounty hospitals and in health centres with poor accessibility and hilly terrains of Nandi, the CEC said.
The hospital has also established an ICU department with four beds and a team of medical personnel have already undergone the prerequisite training to enable them to efficiently run the unit.
Koech explained that to ensure the hospital offers services of international standards, her department had formed a partnership with a number of hospitals based in the USA for support.
“We already have 10 nurses undergoing intense training in the US in part one of the exercise. More will be trained."
The nurses will be trained in various fields including various types of cancer screening after an Oncology department was established.
Two major blood banks have also been established to serve all hospitals in the county and ensure steady supply of blood.
“Kapsabet and Nandi-Hills hospitals host the main blood banks and mini ones in Kobujoi and Kabiyet,” Koech said.
The county has set aside 28 per cent of its budget to the health sector which has been said to be ignored in the past.
Kapsabet medical superintendent Daniel Kemboi said the new complex, whose construction is set to be completed in 2021, will totally change health services.
Koech said with the support of Governor Stephen Sang, they recruited 200 health workers to boost the depleted workforce.
Edited by R.Wamochie