By Jabali Media
Principal Secretary (PS), state department for medical services Dr. Ouma Oluga says the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) is set to become a premier health facility in the Lake region, owing to its elevation from a level 5 to a level 6A hospital.
Addressing the press after holding a meeting with the hospital management led by CEO Richard Lesiyampe on Saturday, Dr. Oluga said the facility will soon play in the same league as Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, and the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), especially in offering cancer treatment.
Last month, the cabinet approved the elevation of the hospital to a parastatal status, a move the PS says will revolutionize provision of medical services at the health facility.
Following the approval by the cabinet, Dr. Oluga said they are working on a transition program which seeks to have the hospital under the management of the national government, within the next three months.
“I visited this facility because we are expected to complete that exercise by 30th of June, 2025. So, we are short of time but we are so grateful that the county government has already done quite a lot of work and so what remains to be done are the legal notices which we have also commenced that process.”
He added, “The cabinet secretary for health has already signed the legal instruments that are supposed to go to the attorney general, and so I'm also here to ensure that ahead of that legal notice coming out that we start the process of establishing the human resource for health instruments.”
The Lake region, the PS noted, has the highest burden for cervical cancer, insisting that JOORTH is poised to play a leading role in offering support to patients.
“Lake basin region has the highest burden for cervical cancer and cervical cancer requires that you have radiotherapy machines. We are going to make sure that we prioritize those services, given the fact that Moi teaching and referral hospital has been overwhelmed for quite a long time because the hospital has 150 patients per day lining up for that radiotherapy.”
His visit came a day after members of the National Assembly’s Parliamentary committee led by chairman, Seme MP James Nyikal conducted a fact-finding mission at the facility.
