The national government has unveiled plans to build modern Level 3 hospitals across counties, in a project that will see the State spend Ksh 2.3 billion.
Speaking to journalists during the ground breaking event of a new medical facility in Ugenya, Siaya County on Tuesday, Michal Thuita , the Head of Infrastructure Development at the Ministry of Health said that each hospital will cost about Ksh 50 million to construct.
Besides constructing new hospitals, the Ministry is also planning to refurbish existing level three hospitals across all 47 counties.
"We have come here (Ugenya, Siaya County) to give the site to the contractor. We want to do a Level 3A facility. The project is a national government project and it is going to cost over Ksh 50 million.”
According to the national government official, Level 3 Hospitals will be upgraded to Level 3A and equipped with modern facilities to improve service delivery and give them the capacity to handle high patient traffic.
Level 3 Hospitals are small medical facilities with minimal infrastructure, yet they offer key services like big hospitals. They are run by at least one doctor, clinical officers and nurses.
Thuita challenged the Siaya County government to plan adequately on how they will run operations at the hospital once it is handed over to them by the national government.
"The project is just to upgrade the facility from level 3 to level 3A and we are doing it in all the counties, not only Siaya. Siaya is lucky to be one of the first counties.”
As such, the national government has set aside Ksh 2.3 billion for the ambitious project.
Siaya Director of Public Health, Kennedy Orwenjo, commended the project, emphasising its potential to enhance healthcare services in the County.
He noted that the addition of a pediatric ward, postnatal ward, theatre, ultrasound room, and laboratory to the facility will significantly improve healthcare provision.
