People in the Nyambene region covering Tigania East, Tigania West, Igembe North, Igembe South and Igembe Central are set to benefit from expanded healthcare services after Meru governor Mutuma M’Ethingia commissioned the first-ever male ward at Nyambene Sub-County Hospital in Igembe South.
The new 60-bed facility comprises a 30-bed male surgical ward and a 30-bed male medical ward, a development county official says will ease congestion and improve admission services in a region that has long lacked a dedicated male inpatient ward.
Speaking during the commissioning, Mutuma said the project was driven by painful personal experience, recalling that his late father, a Njuri Ncheke elder, died after failing to access emergency admission services at the hospital before referral to Kirua Mission Hospital.
He said the facility previously lacked both a male ward and oxygen services, forcing patients to seek treatment far from home.
The governor also handed over the site for construction of a KSh50 million outpatient block and announced a KSh100 million inpatient block being undertaken in partnership with the National government as part of efforts to upgrade Nyambene into a Level 5 referral facility.
Mutuma said the county had also planned a similar male ward at Kanuni and noted that the hospital would now be better placed to handle emergencies, including accident victims who previously had nowhere to be admitted.
Deputy Governor Linda Kiome said the new ward would reduce the burden of long-distance referrals and spare patients the hardship of travelling in search of admission services.
She urged residents to register with the Social Health Authority to improve access to treatment.
John Paul Mwirigi welcomed the project, saying it would save many lives in the constituency, and reiterated his commitment to support healthcare expansion, including construction of a Kenya Medical Training College campus in the area.
Meru Health Executive Member Mugambi Denis said Nyambene is among four regional hospitals earmarked for elevation to Level 5 status alongside Miathene Hospital, Kanyakine Hospital and Timau Hospital as part of the county’s strategy to strengthen referral healthcare services across Meru County