Kirinyaga County Gov't begins upgrade of Kimbimbi Hospital to level 4

Construction of a three storey hospital will now enable the over 50 years old facility to offer advanced medical services for which the residents have always been referred to other facilities.

The facility which serves an average of 300 patients daily caters for people drawn from the extensive Mwea East and Mwea West subcounties as well some residents of the neighboring Mbeere area of Embu County. 

The upgrading will save the beneficiaries from travelling to the county referral hospital in Kerugoya for services such as surgical procedures. 

The upgrading means that the level of services that the hospital has been offering will now be more advanced as the hospital will be equipped with equipment and the medical personnel befitting a level four hospital. 

The complex will have a 240 bed inpatient capacity, an accident and emergency area, a major theater, male and female medical wards, male and female surgical wards and pediatric wards. 

Governor Anne Waiguru has said that the expanded hospital will be equipped with modern diagnostic medical equipment to handle specialized treatment in order to boost the implementation of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for people living in Mwea constituency and its environs.

In affirming her commitment to leave a legacy in the health sector, Waiguru said she has prioritized improvement of health facilities to ensure access to affordable and quality medical services for the people of Kirinyaga. Kimbimbi hospital is being upgraded alongside Kianyaga hospital which is also poised to be elevated from level three to level four. 

Jane Wangui, a resident of Kimbimbi says that upgrading of the hospital has come to save them from spending money in private hospitals or on transport to Kerugoya hospital to seek for specialized services. 

Her sentiments were echoed by Beatrice Gatimu who hails from Nyangati. She said that they expect the new hospital to have equipment and medical personnel who will attend to their needs without costly referrals that at times delay treatment.

“At times we have even been forced to raise funds for people to go to Kenyatta hospital for treatment”, she said.

Upgrading of the two hospitals will complement the upcoming Kerugoya Level Five hospital complex which is hailed as one the largest medical facilities in the Mt. Kenya region. The five-storey medical complex will have state-of-the-art amenities such as an ICU, a HDU, a cancer center and an oxygen plant among other facilities required to offer specialized referral services.

At the same time, governor Waiguru has embarked on opening of 19 dispensaries which her government has been completing. The facilities which had been left incomplete by the previous regime will increase access to primary healthcare by residents.

@@Kianjiru and Kiamwathi dispensaries were opened two weeks ago while others lined up for opening include Kiaumbui and Kiandai.