Muranga becomes the first county to serve without charging Kenyans who require ICU services.
Kenyans are streaming to Muranga Level 5 Hospital for Free ICU Services.
In April, H.E. Mwangi Wa Iria decreed that Murang’a Hospital would provide free ICU services during his tenure.
It takes Ksh. 300,000 per day to get ICU services in private hospitals.
When obtaining 10 additional ventilators from U.S. government authorities, Wa Iria said that some patients had accrued more than Ksh. 3 million in medical fees in the ICU. Luckily, the county agreed to pay their fees and let them go home free of charge.
He also affirmed that human life is sacred. Humanity should not ask for money from a patient in need of medical treatment and in near-death experience. Adding that Murang’a Level 5 Hospital is not a profit making enterprise.
USAID
The United States Government is donating 10 brand-new, state-of-the-art ventilators to Murang’a county. This is via the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support its fight against COVID-19.
The donation improves Muranga county response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
USAID is funding a tailored package of support that includes accompanying equipment, service plans, and technical assistance.
USAID will educate health care staff on how to use ventilators and critical care patient management.
Governor Mwangi Wa Iria insists that Muranga County will continue to provide free intensive care services to all Kenyans.
This is irrespective of the counties they come from. Patients living outside Muranga county will also enjoy the free ICU services.
The governor thanked USAID for their well-deserved and timely assistance.
Oxygen Generating Plants
The governor also announced that the largest Oxygen Generation Plant in Mt Kenya has now been completed by 50%. Its now pending commissioning.
Other small oxygen generating plants are set to be constructed across the country in different major hospitals.
The Rockefeller Foundation will finance the development of oxygen generation facilities in four public hospitals. Hence, improving Kenya’s capacity to reduce the adverse effects of the Covid-19.
Othaya Level 6 Hospital was the first recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation and the Amref Health Africa Collaboration.
They will be accompanied by Mbagathi, Kajiado and Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospitals.
Githinji Gitahi, CEO of Amref Group, described the donation as strategic. This is because oxygen is an important life-saving commodity for the management of various critical conditions in health facilities.
More specifically for patients with serious Covid-19 symptoms.
The oxygen tank at Othaya Level 6 Hospital holds 4000 Kilograms of liquid oxygen. This is enough to supply the hospital for 30 days at current consumption rates.
Further, the installation will reduce the current cost of compressed oxygen by about 30%.
Having an on-site oxygen plant will guarantee a sustainable supply of high purity oxygen to its wards. Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Newborn Unit (NBU) Operations Theaters will also benefit.
Essential Medicine
With the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledging the need to increase access to quality oxygen and to revise the Essential Medicines List to include oxygen as a key medication, two organizations have partnered to build oxygen plants across Kenya.
The partnership between Amref Health Africa and the Rockefeller Foundation completed the oxygen generation plant at Othaya Level 6 Hospital in Nyeri County.
The agreement between the two organizations will see other plants put up in various places.
Namely Kajiado Teaching and Referral Hospital, Mbagathi Hospital and the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Its part of The Rockefeller Foundation’s efforts to support the Government of Kenya’s COVID-19 response.
Counties like Laikipia are failing to meet the minimum threshold for attracting such donors.
Current Progress
The Kajiado Teaching and Referral Hospital is at 70% completion. Its scheduled for completion mid-December 2020.
Additionally, Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital project implementation is at 50% completion. Hopefully set to be completed by the end of this month.
The Rockefeller Foundation is keen to support the elimination of COVID-19 in Kenya and around the world. A challenge this large requires partners to collaborate in order to reach the scale and scope needed to bend the COVID-19 curve downward. Through collaboration with grantees such as Amref Health Africa and the Ministry of Health, we are working to identify, invest, and scale-up solutions in the communities we serve.
William Asiko, The Rockefeller Foundation’s Africa Managing Director
Othaya Level 6 Hospital got additional funding for 35 beds with mattresses, 3 patient monitors, 4,000 full sets of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and 1,000 cartons of sanitizer.