Deputy President William Ruto on Saturday officially opened the newly constructed Outpatient Wing at Chuka Referral Hospital worth 231 million.
The hospital that started out as a dispensary in 1952 and later upgraded to a health centre in 1960 has for years struggled with overcrowding, with a patient influx witnessed within the facility resulting to the need for expansion.
Ruto, while speaking at the hospital said once elected into office as president, his government will allocate 500 million to ensure the hospital is upgraded to level 5 status and cater for the completion of the construction of KMTC that is ongoing.
“I want to thank H.E Governor Muthomi Njuki and Tharaka Nithi County because today we are opening an Outpatient Wing that is fully functional and fully equipped. Next year, once elected as President my first priority as a government will be allocation of 500 million to this hospital to ensure it is a level 5” – DP Ruto.
Governor Muthomi Njuki in his speech acknowledged that the project was 100% funded by the County Government of Tharaka Nithi and that the hospital which serves over 120,000 patients per year was beginning a new chapter in service delivery.
Tharaka Nithi allocates 30% of its budget to Health, which amounts to 1.6 billion of the 5.8 billion allocated to the county from the National Government in the current budget allocation.
Pediatric Unit, Accident & Emergency wing, Orthopedic Department, Specialized Clinics, Theatres, Comprehensive Care Centre, Surgical Outpatient Clinics and a Pharmacy are some of the services offered in the new outpatient wing.
The hospital registered 11,069 outpatients in January and 10,295 in February. 715 patients got admitted in January while February recorded 603.
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