President William Ruto is set to officiate the opening and dedication of the Sh4.5 billion Billy Graham Memorial Cardiothoracic Centre at Tenwek Hospital in Bomet on Thursday.
The state-of-the-art facility, funded by donors from the US, is named after the late American evangelist Billy Graham.
The centre, with a capacity of 176 beds, is designed to offer both surgical and training services, serving outpatient and inpatient needs in the field of cardiothoracic care.
It has 52 intensive care units, post-anaesthesia units, six major operating theatres, cauterization suits, five endoscopy rooms and an outpatient clinic.
It also has examination rooms, a pharmacy, a lab, a blood bank, CT and X-ray machines, six cardiothoracic theatres, a preoperative holding area, and a 32-bed post-anaesthesia care centre.
The facility is designed to conduct 2,000 major heart and chest surgeries in addition to performing thousands of endoscopies and cauterisations.
It will be one of its kind in the region serving thousands of patients with heart-related problems.
Rheumatic heart disease is a major issue in the country with over 4,000 children born with the congenital condition annually.
The hospital has performed more than 2, 000 surgeries heart surgeries since 2008 but has been faced with more challenges hence the need to put up the facility.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that there are 35 million people from the continent suffering from heart-related diseases out of which 150,000 are Kenyans.
In September, Tenwek Mission Hospital unveiled a Sh130 million accident and emergency centre.
The ultra-modern facility with state-of-the-art equipment will boost the hospital’s response to accidents along the busy road.
The unveiling of the facility follows a spate of road accidents.
The new unit will help deal with congestion and other urgent medical needs that occasion immense pressure.
During the launch, hospital CEO Ben Siele said the unit can accommodate more than 250 emergency cases.
“Today marks a significant milestone as AGC Tenwek Hospital unveils its state-of-the-art Accident and Emergency (A&E) Building,’’ Siele said in September.
“It is the biggest accident and emergency facility in this region and I am happy that the launch of this facility will go a long way in boosting our response to emergencies.’
Siele said the facility will continue to offer affordable services to patients seeking health services, with professionalism.
“We are committed to working with the government to improve health care turnaround to ensure access to affordable and efficient medical services,’’ he said.
