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Mama Lucy hospital in need of Sh930m upgrade


It will take Sh930 million to improve service delivery at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital to the envisaged standard.

The hospital has failed to live up to the image of a referral hospital as had been planned. It was meant to relieve  pressure from Kenyatta National Hospital,  but services have deteriorated since it was launched by President Kibaki.

A county assembly committee report released recently showed that only two nurses are serving up to 300 patients per day. 

It also showed that as many as three expectant women share a bed and are discharged on the same day that they deliver.

Dr Timothy King’ondu, the county Executive Committee Member for Health attributed the poor services to incomplete work at the hospital.

Approaching residents

“The hospital is only 45 per cent complete and it requires the money for infrastructural development,” said Dr King’ondu.

However, for the hospital to operate ideally, he said Sh1.4 billion should be set aside in the coming financial year starting July.

The amount, he said would include the cost of hiring more staff and expanding the hospital.

He said the government was looking into ways of raising the money which include among others approaching residents to contribute.

The county officer spoke on Friday when he attended the handing over ceremony of an ambulance to Eastleigh Health Centre. The vehicle was bought by the Kamukunji Constituency Fund. Area MP Yusuf Hassan presided over the ceremony.

The centre which serves over 38,000 people is among those that the county intends to upgrade into level three hospitals that will be open for 24 hours. Currently, only maternity services are offered round the clock.

Others include Dandora, Karen, Mathare North, Mukuru kwa Njenga and Embakasi Health centres.