Aasai

The elevation of the Meru Referral Hospital to Level 6 has begun with a construction work that is in line with its new status launched by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on Thursday. The deputy president said the promise to lift the center to a high level as promised by President William Ruto on a recent visit to the area. Speaking on Thursday on his visit to the hospital, accompanied by a contractor assigned to the face of Meru leaders led by Governor Isaac Mutuma, DP said the government was interested in completing the project in less than a year.

"The president has sent me here today and I have come with the contractor to start construction work, the President has ordered this to be done within one year for the public to receive treatment here," he said.

DP said the project was a major success for the region, thanking the local leaders for putting their weight back. "The raising of the hospital to Level 6 means that the county government will now hand over the management to the national government. It will be run as a government agency like KNH and directly funded by the national government. 

It is an important achievement for this area," he said. The construction will be overseen by the Department of Defense which was praised by the Deputy President for doing a good job in the development of the countrys infrastructure. "The contractor is managed by the defense department. The army is responsible for supporting civilian programs such as building bridges, roads and infrastructure development.

As a result of the elevation, the current Level 5 center, will provide essential services to patients from the Upper Eastern area who have been forced to travel long distances to Nairobi and Eldoret for such services. "When it is completed, there will be no reason for any patient to seek treatment elsewhere because we will have modern cancer treatment equipment, cardiovascular diseases and kidney cleaning among other important diseases," DP assured. Prof. Kindiki thanked the President for agreeing to Merus request to raise the hospital. He called on residents to continue registering for Shada medical insurance saying it was changing so that millions of Kenyans could have good medical access.

"SHA plays a major role in reducing medical costs because it is available to everyone unlike NHIF. It has brought balance in the provision of medical services. Until today, 25.2 million Kenyans have registered. We target 55 million Kenyans," he said. At the same time, Prof. Kindiki said the re -architectural design of the Nithi bridge would begin before the end of the year after the government allocated money. "The construction of the Nithi bridge has been tender. It will cost Sh7 billion. Not the Tharaka Nithi bridge but all the people who use the road. This is how pushing the development agenda of this area. We will cross the expectations of many people. Thats what we mean by two words, "he noted.