The construction of a 500-bed complex hospital at the JM Kariuki memorial hospital in Nyandarua has begun.
Speaking while presiding over a groundbreaking ceremony of the Sh1.5 billion project, Nyandarua governor Francis Kimemia said once complete, the facility will be a game-changer in the provision of healthcare in the county.
Mr Kimemia said that with the upgrade of the facility’s infrastructure, the hospital is expected to attain Level 6 status.
He said the five storey complex will be a great honor as it will have a 144 bed mother and child unit an additional Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with 12 fully equipped beds, 10-bed High Dependency Unit (HDU), three operating theatres and 48 bed casualty ward.
Kimemia added that the hospital will see number of referrals to patients seeking specialized care reduced to zero as it will also have a cancer center in place.
He noted that once complete, the hospital will come in handy complementing other health projects established across Nyandarua.
The mega project which is expected to be completed in three years’ time will come with an oxygen plant and various units.
Resident have since lauded the move to have the hospital in place noting that it will save them the agony of traveling a long distance for specialized care.
They have since called for timely completion of the project.
On covid-19, the governor called the resident to follow the set safety protocols to help avert spread.
Recently a school in the county was closed indefinitely after 8 pupils tested positive of covid-19 with the number escalating to 22 by June 18, 2020.