- The project was initiated by Mr Joseph Kagiri and his friends after their neighbour, Jane Njeri, passed away due to depression following a spontaneous abortion.
- “After mobilizing and receiving Sh36 million from friends, the village has now received a six-bed modern maternity wing with incubator machines, phototherapy machines, and oxygen concentrators among others," he said.
Image: AMOS NJAU
Residents of Mugunda village in Kieni now have access to improved medical care, thanks to a new six-bed maternity wing and laboratory facility that was recently constructed in the area.
The project was initiated by Mr Joseph Kagiri and his friends after their neighbour, Jane Njeri, passed away due to depression following a spontaneous miscarriage.
Speaking during an interview with Star, Mr Joseph Kagiri explained that to prevent future cases of maternal mortality, he reached out to his friends and rallied the community to come together to construct a maternity wing at Mugunda Dispensary.
"After witnessing the tragedy of a woman dying of depression, I felt compelled to take action and provide this facility to our community," Kagiri said.
The group raised Sh36 million to fund the project, which has incubator machines, phototherapy machines, oxygen concentrators, and ultrasound equipment.
He noted that the laboratory is equipped with rare medical equipment like bio-safety cabinets, haematology analyzers, and microscopes and it attracts patients from Nyeri, Nyandarua, and Laikipia counties.
“After mobilizing and receiving Sh36 million from friends, the village has now received a six-bed modern maternity wing with incubator machines, phototherapy machines, and oxygen concentrators among others," he said.
According to Rhoda Minai, the officer in charge of the facility, the new facility has significantly improved conditions in the village by reducing the number of home deliveries and associated risks.
She said that the maternity wing and laboratory were inaugurated in January of this year and have since treated a total of 2061 outpatients, provided laboratory services to 435 patients, and cared for 102 antenatal patients and 26 maternity patients.
"The maternity wing and the laboratory opened doors on January this year, and since then we have treated 2061 outpatients, 435 patients have sought laboratory services, 102 antenatal care patients, and 26 maternity patients," she said.
Gianifranco Schiava, the Vice President of the NGO that donated money said they have earned an award from the City of Vernice owing to the prudent management of resources towards the project.
"Due to the project, we have passed the test of being legitimate NGOs after the yearly assessment by the government earning us a credible position in our country," Schiava said.
He called on the Nyeri County Government to elevate the status of the facility into a level four hospital and to deploy more health personnel to take advantage of the medical equipment that has been deployed at the facility saying his group was willing to deploy doctors to train their Kenyan counterparts.
He further challenged the Kenyan government to remove the import tax on goods aimed at helping Kenyans.