During his reign in power, former President Mwai Kibaki was known for his unrivalled development agenda that changed the country after the NARC government took the reins of power in 2002.
The development from Kibaki didn’t go unnoticed but the record he set followed him to his backyard as the government followed up constructing the Othaya Teaching and Referral Hospital that started operations in August 2019.
Although the hospital was initiated by Kibaki in 2011 with a plan of constructing a Ksh500 million facility, President Kenyatta made the dream greater adopting it as one of his pet projects in Central Kenya and ordered Ksh500 million additional funding, making it one of the most modern hospitals in the country.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, a source from the area indicated that the hospital is almost fully operational, people from and out of the region.
“The installation of modern machines at the hospital is almost complete to facilitate the full operationalisation of the hospital.
“Many people expected this to be done before the end of 2019 but the government asked for more time. This remains to be one of the key projects done in the Central Kenya region," the remarked the source.
In November 2019, the facility was placed under the management of Kenyatta National Hospital.
Othaya MP Gichuki Mugambi stated that the move was aimed at ensuring the hospital was fully operational while sourcing health expertise from KNH.
The move also meant that the hospital would not be under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Health, but will be under the KNH board as the first teaching and referral hospital in the Mt Kenya region.
“The hospital will cater for the eight counties in this region, offering services such as specialised treatment for children and kidney diseases,” Mugambi remarked.
Further, the hospital will benefit from Kenyatta National Hospital staff who will momentarily check in for medical tasks.
“The hospital has now upgraded to a parastatal status and the KNH board will recruit staff at better terms and we will have access to all Kenyatta National Hospital doctors.
“KNH is the right parent for this hospital which will not only offer specialised treatment but also have a private wing for patients,” the MP added.
