By Opondo Michael
Salus Oculi Kenya is set to construct a multi-million state-of-the-art Eye Treatment and care centre at Moi County Referral Hospital (MCRH), Voi.
The approximately Ksh 80 Million facility project funded by Salus Oculi Kenya will house the theatre room, male and female ophthalmology wards, and the optometric unit, among other departments related to eye treatment all equipped with state-of-the-art ophthalmology equipment and capacity building of healthcare workers.
Speaking during the groundbreaking event that took place at MCRH Voi on Saturday, Taita Taveta County Governor Andrew Mwadime commented on the donor for their partnership and for considering Taita Taveta County in their development projects.
The Governor noted that this is part of the clarion call he has been making since his inauguration where he challenged leaders, county workers and the citizens to selflessly participate in resource mobilization, a move aiming at achieving development in the county.
“We have been working towards restoring the confidence of development partners who had previously lost trust. Counties committed to building a good working relationship with partners have recorded tremendous performance since the inception of devolution,” said the Governor.
He applauded the healthcare workers for identifying the donor and initiated the project which is now at the implementation stage.
“I congratulate the team of healthcare workers who identified the donor and initiated the implementation of the project. As I promised during my inauguration, I am going to reward the team for being patriotic citizens,” he said.
Mwadime further urged the Doctors from Moi County referral hospital to maintain the integrity and seal all the loopholes from where medicine is lost.
“Members of the medical fraternity, where I want you to be keen on, is where medicine gets lost. Let’s work together to end this menace,” he said.
The governor however called upon the contractor of the facility to consider the youths in the area by giving them work on the construction site which he said will boost their income.
Taita Taveta Deputy Governor Christine Kilalo noted that for a long time, residents with eye problems in the county have been spending a lot of time and money while looking for eye treatment services out of the county and that the introduction of the eye treatment facility in Moi County referral hospital helped in reducing the cost incurred by eye patients while seeking treatment outside the county.
She noted that the construction of the modern eye treatment and care centre will not only help the residents but will also treat patients from the neighbouring counties which will also boost the revenue collected by the hospital.
According to Ophthalmologist Surgeon Dr Asha Udu who played the lead role in initiating and implementing the project, the eye unit at MCRH Voi is fully equipped to provide Specialized Eye care services such as eyelid surgery, corneal perforation repair, anterior chamber washout, orbital exenteration surgery, trabeculectomy surgery, conjunctival surgery and capsulotomy. Dr Asha noted that the construction of the facility will provide enough space for effective treatment and monitoring of eye patients.
“The construction of this facility here will not only solve the challenge of space for our staff but with the male and female wards in it, will help us treat and monitor our patients until we are certain that they are fine before we can release them,” she said.
According to her, the eye treatment unit has limited space for the staff with limited wards which has been forcing them to refer patients who need specialized care to Mombasa for treatment.
The project is expected to be complete by the end of the year 2023.
