Maua Methodist Hospital unveils ultra-modern High Dependence Unit, ICU, and Oxygen plant
In a bid to reduce the infant mortality rate in the Meru region and its neighboring Counties, a High Dependency Unit (HDU) for premature and underweight babies has been set up by Maua Methodist Hospital.
Meru residents will no longer be required to travel to Nairobi to access the services following the opening of a new intensive care and High Dependency Unit.
The Unit will provide critical care for newborns and critically ill patients needing specialized care in a bid to increase their chances of survival.
Speaking exclusively to the County Focus health officer in charge of the HDU Jennifer Kamau said the project is a step in the right direction towards the improvement of the delivery of health services in the county.
Ms Kamau said the hospital has upgraded its services and will now be providing both the intensive Care Unit (ICU) and HDU services at an affordable price.
“This is the first ICU and HDU of its kind in this region and it will give infants and critically ill patients a chance of survival. The status of this hospital has continued to be enhanced,” Ms Kamau noted.
Through a partnership with African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF) hospital is also set to manufacture its own oxygen which will help provide the much-needed oxygen for its new units.
According to the hospital CEO Justus Marete, the newly built oxygen plant is expected to use natural air to manufacture the said oxygen and supply it to the patients at 99% when supplemented with liquid oxygen.
African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF) is a foundation that supports medical missionaries and mission hospitals.
According to AMHF, the investment which is estimated to cost Sh 30,375,000 will enable the hospital to care for more than 80,000 additional patients over the next 20 years for an average cost of less than Sh 729.
This comes even after many hospitals in Kenya experienced an acute shortage of oxygen due to the Covid-19 pandemic, hence causing the lives of patients with chronic health conditions and those in ICU in greater danger. This highlights the crucial importance of access to medical oxygen for treatment. Guided by its vision of providing quality healthcare services, Maua Methodist Hospital is set to launch the oxygen plant in addition to its existing hospital oxygen storage capacity.
Mr. Marete noted that the oxygen plant will go a long way in the support and management of patients in critical care.
Apart from high-quality inpatient and outpatient services, the CEO noted that the Hospital also boasts of having one of the leading medical laboratories that offer quality medical laboratory testing in the region. The laboratory is staffed with laboratory scientists and technologists who are highly trained in medical laboratory sciences.
