UHURU explains why he opened five hospitals in Nairobi at night – Is this reason enough?

 

Wednesday, July 07, 2021 – President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday night toured Nairobi County where he opened five hospitals with an aim of decongesting Kenyatta National Hospital, Mama Lucy Hospital, and Mbagathi Hospital.

During the ‘night operation’, Uhuru who was accompanied by Nairobi Metropolitan Service(NMS) Director-General, Mohamed Badi, opened two level 2 hospitals at Gichagi in Kangemi and Gatina in Kawangware as well as level 3 hospitals in Mukuru Kwa Rueben, Tassia Kwa Ndege and Our Lady of Nazareth in Mukuru Kwa Njenga.

When opening the hospitals, Uhuru ordered all public hospitals in Nairobi to offer 24-hour services to ensure city residents access health services whenever they need them.

“The dispensaries and level 2 health facilities should operate 24 hours services to decongest Kenyatta National Hospital and Mama Lucy Hospital. 

“Instead of someone using money to go and seek medical services at Kenyatta National Hospital, they need to access these services at the facilities which are near them,” Uhuru said.

On why he opened the facilities at night, Uhuru said he chose to commission the new hospitals at night so as to adhere to Covid-19 containment protocols.

“We went at night because we wanted to ensure that we were observing Covid-19 protocols. 

“As you have seen for yourselves, it would have been impossible to go and do what we did today, during the day because of the number of people who would have been out there. 

“It would have been very difficult for us to do the job we wanted to do and at the same time observe Covid protocols that the government has put in place,” the President said.