New cancer kit reprieve for patients

What you need to know:

  • Executive advises residents to register with the national insurer.
  • Dialysis to cost Sh5,500.

Kidney failure, cancer and diabetes patients will no longer have to travel to Nairobi for services.

Health Executive Kabii Mungai yesterday said the Magnetic Resonance Machine has been installed at the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital.

“You don’t need to go to a private hospital and pay Sh12,000 per every dialysis session when our rates are affordable,” he said.

Dr Kabii said 10 patients were already on dialysis while more were on the waiting list.

One machine can handle six patients per day.

The executive encouraged residents to register with the National Hospital Insurance Fund.

He admitted that a lot needed to be done to improve healthcare.

“The hospital has 14 people who can handle patients in need of dialysis. We want to ensure that more are trained so that the equipment operates for 24 hours,” Dr Kabii said.

He said dialysis at the provincial hospital costs Sh5,500 per session.

EQUIPMENT

The Ministry of Health has trained 16 people in radiology, 12 in sterilisation, 30 renal specialists and 26 biomedics.

The hospital will be supplied with theatres, surgical and sterilisation equipment, dialysis machines, ICU facilities, digital X-ray machines and ultrasound and imaging machines.

Medical Superintendent John Murima said the installation of a Sh1.2 million fibre-optic cable at the hospital would ease information transfer through tele-medicine.

Tele-medicine is a service that eliminates distance and costs, problems faced by people in far-flung areas who cannot access specialists.

Mr Hillary Kosgei, an engineer with another firm, said the hospital would be also supplied with auto sonic washers and surgical instruments.