Patients in Murang’a are now being turned away or redirected after Murang’a Level 5 Hospital filled up.
In a notice on Monday, Governor Irungu Kang’ata said the hospital has already taken in as many patients as it can handle, with all the 500 beds occupied. He added that the number of people going to the hospital every day has been high, with about 1,500 to 2,000 patients seeking treatment daily.
From what the county is saying, the hospital is not just dealing with Murang’a residents. Patients from nearby counties have also been coming in, making the situation worse.
Because of this, people have now been asked to try other facilities like Muriranja, Mugoiri, Mukuyu, and Kiangage, where more staff have been added to help.
The county has also tried to manage the pressure at the main hospital. There are some health workers on leave, and they have been recalled to help, and space has been created to take in more patients.
There are also efforts being made to work with other hospitals in the county, so not everyone has to come to level 5.
Even with all these measures, the governor said that hiring more staff is a challenge, however, due to budgetary constraints.
People have been asked to be patient and work with the health workers to address the issue.
This is not the first time the hospital is being stretched this way. A similar scenario happened last year when the patient load increased, and the county had to respond to the situation quickly.
