Governor George Natembeya has pledged to complete the Sh4 billion Wamalwa Kijana Teaching and Referral Hospital, saying it will transform healthcare in Trans Nzoia and reduce the need for residents to seek treatment elsewhere.
More than Sh2.5 billion has been spent on the construction and equipping of the facility, which is expected to cost about Sh4 billion upon completion.
Natembeya said despite what he described as political propaganda aimed at undermining the hospital’s operations, the facility was already offering quality services and the county government would continue investing in its expansion.
The county has gradually relocated several health services from Kitale County Referral Hospital to the new facility, which was initiated by former Governor Patrick Khaemba.
Natembeya said more than Sh2 billion had been invested in developing the hospital, which he recently renamed the Wamalwa Kijana Teaching and Referral Hospital in honour of former Vice President Kijana Wamalwa.
“Although the new hospital was initiated by my predecessor, I am not like other people who would have abandoned it. I decided that it had consumed a lot of public money and we have to complete the facility and put it to use,” Natembeya said.
The governor criticised some of his detractors, saying many had never visited the hospital but continued to spread negative information about it.
“Some of those critics have been hired by those with private hospitals to ensure residents of Trans Nzoia do not go for better services in such a good public hospital,” Natembeya said while speaking at his office in Kitale.
His remarks came as the county intensifies efforts to improve healthcare services and expand access to specialised treatment.
Recently, the governor’s spouse, Lillian Natembeya, hosted cancer patients and appealed to stakeholders to support people receiving palliative care in the region.
During a meeting at her Milimani office in Kitale, she expressed concern that many patients under palliative care were unable to access a balanced diet, which is essential to their wellbeing and recovery.
She called on the business community, local farmers, non-governmental organisations and both levels of government to work together in supporting healthcare initiatives across the county.
Natembeya said the county’s focus was increasingly shifting towards primary healthcare, including disease prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, management of lifestyle-related illnesses and the promotion of healthy diets.
He said the Natecare initiative would provide healthcare coverage for vulnerable residents who are unable to meet medical costs on their own.
According to the governor, the long-term goal is to ensure the referral hospital provides a wide range of specialised services, including cancer care, closer to home.
“We have to ensure that our people do not travel outside the county to seek health services that can be affordably offered locally,” Natembeya said.
BY MATHEWS NDANYI
