Busia county now seeks support to improve main hospital facilities
By People.Reporter, March 16, 2023
The Busia County is now seeking the national government’s support to improve its main hospital facilities for enhanced service delivery at the county referral hospital that also serves residents from neighbouring Uganda.
Currently, the county only offers medical services at its ill-equipped seven level four hospital facilities that lack the necessary infrastructure such as modern theatres, laboratories, modern radiology equipment- (X-rays/CT scans, MRI), renal and dialysis services, and structured referral and ambulance services.
As an international border point, the county that has been serving as high human traffic transit has a high risk of first contact with infectious diseases such as Covid-19, Ebola, Marburg and Yellow Fever from the neighbouring Uganda and DRC.
It is at the backdrop of this that the county now seeks the help of the national government to boost medical service delivery in the region.
At the onset, the county has requested the national government to help it upgrade the Busia County Hospital to a Level 5 facility that serves both Kenya and Uganda residents and facilitate the upgrading the Alupe Level 4 Hospital by converting it to a specialized Infectious Disease Isolation and Management Center to deal with Public Health Emergencies of infectious nature, especially from Uganda/DRC.
The county executive member of Health Beatrice Nakholi noted with concern that despite Busia and Malaba being cargo transit points, and an identified threat of fuel fire breakout from the fuel trucks, road traffic accidents from the many heavy commercial and PSV that traverse the County’s major highways, the county hospitals do not have a functional trauma center, specialized staff or specialized equipment to handle a mass casualty accident.
“We are requesting the national government to grant us use of the nearby Kemri Laboratory to help support Busia County Hospital. An upgrade of the facility will support the achievement of the vision to grow the nearby Alupe University to a Medical School to support the region’s Human Resources needs. This facility will relieve pressure off the Busia County Referral Hospital,” said Nakholi.
“It is also our prayer that the government will help us construct a functional trauma center, burns unit and blood banks in the Busia town (BCRH), and Malaba (or another Level 4 Hospital along Bungoma-Malaba, Busia-Bungoma highway), equipped with specialized equipment and trained staff to handle a mass casualty accident,” added the health official.
Speaking when the Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha visited the county, the CEC also sought support for completion, equipment and operationalization to functional status, the New Born Unit with equipment such as incubators, baby cots, suction machines, resuscitaires, human resources, as well as construct and equip a separate Maternity Theatre.