A Sh 76million oxygen plant is set to be constructed in Kericho County. While unveiling the budget for the financial year 2021-2022, County Executive Committee in-charge of Finance and Economic Planning Dr. Patrick Mutai stated that there was need to equip the health facilities in Kericho County to avert a possible looming crisis due to covid-19 pandemic which has affected Kenyans for the last 15 months.
The plant is expected to solve the oxygen needs of patients in Intensive Care (ICU) and High Dependency Units (HDU). It will be set up at Kericho Referral Hospital. In addition, all hospital beds that required piping and oxygen would be fixed to ensure patients are treated without hitches in all health facilities in the County.
โAs we grapple with the effects of Covid-19, we have decided to construct an oxygen plant so that we are self-sufficient as far as oxygen needs are concerned and our patients will be well taken care of in our facilities and patients should not be transferred from Kericho hospitals because of lack of oxygen or other vital facilities,โ said Dr. Mutai.
Recurrent expenditure
The CEC lauded the good work of the health workers who have been on the frontline in fighting the pandemic promising to provide them with the latest tools and equipment for the protection and prevention so as to continue safely carrying out their critical medical obligations during the pandemic.
โI propose Sh184.4 million be allocated as recurrent transfers to the seven facilities in the County in the form of the Facility Improvement Fund (FIF). I, therefore, allocate Sh2.2 billion as forecasted recurrent expenditure and Sh230 million for development,โ Dr. Mutai said.
Dr. Mutai also reported that by Friday 25th, 2021, a total of 16,897 people had been vaccinated against the received 22,000 Covid-19 doses. He further said of the 12,623 jabs administered during the first dose, 61% went to males and 39% females while the 4,724 administered for the second dose represented by 59% males and 41% females.
โThe government is however hoping to obtain more doses of the vital jabs soon to protect more people from the disease. The current containment measures imposed on the 13 Lake region and Western counties including Kericho County will ultimately negate the gains on the economic rebound particularly on the micro small and medium enterprises (SME),โ said Dr. Mutai.
In his budget speech, Dr. Mutai also pointed out that Sh53.6 million has been allocated for the completion of incomplete health centers and dispensaries, ablution blocks for health facilities, and refurbishment and maintenance of existing facilities which would be shared equally among the 29 wards across the County.
