As the incidences of traumatic injuries, cancers and cardiovascular disease continue to rise, Kiambu County Governor Ferdinand Waititu has insisted on the need for surgical intervention on public health systems.
Waititu said that surgery is sometimes the only intervention that can alleviate disabilities and reduce the risk of death from common conditions and thereby improving their quality of life.
Speaking during the launch of a 6-day free dental and eye surgery camp at Kiambu Level 5 hospital which will see at least 150 patients operated, Waititu said that his government has fully equipped health facilities with state-of-the-art equipment and theatres.
“This has improved the quality of surgery services we give to the public and which we shall strive to continue. In Kiambu Level 5 hospital, we perform an average of 10-15 surgeries which is sometimes overwhelming,” he said.
According to the current records, the county health department has a list of patients booked for surgery which is spilling over to next year January.
He said that such surgery camps will reduce the number of patients as the hospital projects to in future only target the most urgent attention.
“Despite having over 110 facilities, the hospitals in Kiambu are still facing long ques and overcrowding including cases of patients sharing beds. This has been attributed by us having the best doctors, nurses and also some of the best facilities in the country. Many people from surrounding counties such as Nairobi, Kajiado, Machakos and Muranga come to seek services in our health facilities,” he added.
He said that his government was looking into possibilities of hiring of more health staff, training and increasing bed capacity in the hospitals to reduce the congestion.
Among the surgeries expected to be performed by over 30 Kenyan doctors in collaboration with Turkish and Hungary health representatives include 30 gynecological, 70 general surgeries, 15 orthopedic surgeries and 6 plastic surgeries among others.
Mary Kamau, the county director in charge of health services occasioned the negative publicity which the hospital has had for a while now to increased workload in 2017-2018 financial year.
