Natembeya Launches Sh100 Million Renal Unit, Pledges End to Costly Kidney Referrals

The newly opened renal unit at the Wamalwa Kijana Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kitale, commissioned by Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya Friday will significantly boost local kidney care with modern dialysis machines to reduce expensive external patient referrals.

The over Sh. 100 million valued renal unit enhanced by a substantial 20- machine dialysis machines will according to the County boss be able to provide specialized services for patients with acute and chronic cases

The Governor who was speaking after opening of the facility at the Referral and Teaching Hospital noted that those with chronic cases will be a relieved lot from severe congestion from prior limited setups, positioning Kitale as a medical hub for the North Rift and Western regions.

Natembeya announced hiring of renal unit specialists to help improve healthcare by expanding access to local dialysis, lowering costs, and reducing the need for costly foreign medical travel. He highlighted how trained staff directly elevate community treatment outcomes and asked the County Public Service Board Chairperson Ms. Joyce Nakhanu to Fasttrack the hiring process to get expert nurses and other technicians to manage complex haemodialysis, monitor vital signs and lower side- effect risks.

"This afternoon, I officially launched the new 13-bed renal unit at Wamalwa Kijana Teaching and Referral Hospital. 

The County boss said the renal unit was  one of the largest and most advanced units in the region, with capacity to serve 26 patients daily, translating to 156 dialysis sessions per week and over 600 sessions per month. 

He hailed the team of specialized medical experts  at the Wamalwa Kijana Teaching and Referral Hospital (WKTRH)  for providing specialized critical care that has to a great extent saved  lives.  He also  highlighted that upgraded units have significantly reduced the need for patients to travel far to Eldoret or Nairobi.

On various Healthcare Milestones in the County, the Governor said the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has seen a modern 10-bed ICU facility at WKTRH launched to manage critical illnesses locally while a 13-20 bed renal unit was equipped with high-capacity dialysis machines to ease patient congestion.

Responding to concerns raised by Health and Sanitation Executive Committee Member ( CECM ) Kerio Lorot and County Public service Chairperson Joyce Nakhanu on siphoning of patients to private health facilities, the governor warned public hospital medical teams against conflict of interest, absenteeism, and illicit patient referral and challenged them to choose between public service and private practice.

The Governor  rhetorically questioned whether striking is taught in medical training during disputes with health unions, expressing frustration over frequent work boycotts. 

Strikes are not part of any medical or nursing school curriculum; rather, they arise from labor grievances.

 He has often asserted that some union-backed boycotts are driven by outside political or tribal influences rather than genuine unresolved workplace issues.

He noted that some medical officers assigned to public facilities like the Wamalwa Kijana Teaching and Referral Hospital (WKTRH) had openly neglected official duty to run private clinics and chemists at the expense of the taxpayers who badly needed their services.

Finance and economic planning County executive Committee Member Dr. Wanjala Pepela was hailed for initiatives that had seen the County receive a donation of 20 dialysis machines and other assorted equivalents.

Dr. Pepela thanked the governor for creating an enabling environment that saw the donations delivered, saying his only duty was actualizing machines deliveries.

WKTRH Board Chairman Professor Ferdinand Nang'ole was hailed for his tireless efforts in transforming the health sector and especially the referral facility that has since embraced the highest level of professionalism.

Professor Nang'ole emphasized that the County referral facility must hire specialized staff for critical care and kidney treatment to match modern infrastructure upgrades.

He said that the Intensive care Units require critical care physicians and specialized Nurses to operate advanced life support ventilators and monitoring of unstable patients.

" Proper dialysis and management of acute or chronic kidney diseases reauire trained nephrologists and renal - certified nurses to handle purified water systems and specialized equipment hence my appeal to the County Public service Board to hire localized experts to reduce costly hubs like Nairobi and Eldoret", he said.

County Public service Board Chairperson Ms. Joyce Nakhanu told the Governor that his dream of bringing in Professor Nang'ole to head the Board had bone fruits and challenged other medical personnel not to tire in offering high quality services to the people.

The chairperson warned against siphoning of patients from the facility to other hospitals owned by medical staff based at the WKTRH.

The head of the County public Service Truphosa Amere led a high-powered team of County Executive Committee Members, Technocrats including consultants, staff, WKTRH Board members and staff in joining the governor for the meeting she said was a milestone and turning point in better healthcare to over 1.7 million residents.

The governor also feted Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Dr. Jonathan Kiprop and a team of medical officers, physicians, anesthetists, nurses, and support staff for saving the life of a 63-year-old woman with an 18 inch – centimeter tumor that had left her in pain and untold despair for decades.

‘’ Iam personally indebted to Dr. Kiprop and a team of specialized medical officers at this facility, physicians, anaesthetists, nurses and support staff for doing the impossible which has seen the 63 year old woman gain normalcy, a big thank you all’’, he said as he rewarded Dr. Kiprop with Sh. 100,000 token. Other teams were equally rewarded with huge sums of money for their exemplary performances.