NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 9 – President William Ruto has announced a major partnership with Italy and GKSD Group that will see 15 new hospitals constructed across the country in a fresh push to expand specialized healthcare and address the shortage of hospital beds.

📻 Breaking It Down

The agreement, signed at State House, Nairobi, provides for the construction of 13 Level Five county referral hospitals and two Level Six national teaching and referral hospitals in 15 counties.

President Ruto said the investment would help bridge the gap between existing hospital capacity and the level recommended internationally, noting that the country currently has 12 hospital beds for every 10,000 people against the World Health Organisation benchmark of 25.

“These new facilities will significantly expand our hospital capacity, bring specialised medical services closer to communities, and accelerate our journey towards Universal Health Coverage,”  Ruto said.

📌 What You Need to Know

The President said the projects would be implemented under Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa, an initiative through which Rome is seeking to deepen strategic partnerships with African countries in areas including healthcare, agriculture, water, energy, infrastructure and education.

Italy’s Foreign Ministry says the Mattei Plan has expanded from its initial nine pilot countries to 18 partner countries and currently has 76 projects under implementation. The plan has an initial endowment of €5.5 billion and places health among its six priority areas.

Kenya is among the countries at the centre of Italy’s Africa strategy. In March, an Italian development cooperation delegation visited Kenya as part of efforts to strengthen the bilateral partnership under the Mattei Plan. The delegation brought together more than 70 representatives from Italian government institutions, local authorities, international organisations, civil society and the private sector.

The new hospital programme comes at a time when Kenya’s public health system is under considerable pressure, with shortages of healthcare workers, equipment and capacity continuing to affect service delivery.

A recent Senate assessment found that several county hospitals were struggling to meet minimum staffing and equipment requirements, while some facilities were found with expired medicines and medical supplies. Senators subsequently gave governors until June 1 to submit plans addressing staffing shortages and other challenges facing county health facilities.

The pressure on referral facilities has also been evident during recent industrial action in the health sector. Kenyatta National Hospital, the country’s largest referral and teaching facility, reported increased patient numbers as patients who would ordinarily have sought treatment at county facilities were forced to seek care in Nairobi.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya