NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 3 – The government plans to put up a state of the art health facility in the country, to relieve Kenyans the burden of seeking specialised treatment abroad, Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said.
He decried that Kenyans spent millions of shillings in their quest for specialised treatment in foreign countries while the poor who could not raise the exorbitant medical fees surrendered to fate.
The Premier however said the government was determined to construct such a facility as a matter of urgency and hinted that the Iranian Red Crescent had recently pledged to partner with local institutions in such ventures.
“Access to health care is a fundamental human right and should not be a privilege as is the case hence the need to put a medical centre where majority of the citizens can seek treatment,” he said.
Mr Odinga stressed that the Grand Coalition Government had resolved to make health care services affordable to minimise fatalities attributed to financial constraints among the majority poor in the country.
The Premier suggested that funds for the establishment of such an institution could easily be realised under a public private partnership arrangement to fast track the inception of the centre in the East African region.
“There is urgent need for the country to have an institution that can undertake organ transplant to reduce the high transport cost local patients incur while seeking such specialised treatment in Europe, Germany and the US,” he insisted.
Mr Odinga made the revelation at his office when he received contributions from various pharmaceutical companies towards the treatment of Hilary Karani Kivairu who requires a kidney transplant.
The companies paid a courtesy call on the Premier at his Treasury Buildings offices to present their contribution of at least Sh300,000 to the parents of the 24 year old graduate of Urban Planning from the University of Nairobi.
The ailing Kavairu was diagnosed with kidney problem two years ago but had since been unable to raise enough funds for the transplant in India where he was hospitalised three months ago.
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