LAND, A HURDLE IN HOSPITAL EXPANSION

Over 300,000 people depending on the Mariakani sub county hospital may need to wait for long before the institution is expanded to meet the increasing demand.
Lack of land has proved to be a hurdle in expansion of the hospital which according to officials in the ministry of health the land meant for exercise ended up in private hands.
The hospital located along the Nairobi Mombasa highway has witnessed its work load increased to over 10,000 patients a month.
The hospital which started as a dispensary in 1960 before elevated to a health center in 1976 due to increased population.
The hospital  became a sub county hospital after Kaloleni become a district in 2007 making it a major health facility the  current Kaloleni, Rabai sub counties from Kilifi County and neighboring Kinango Sub County from Kwale County.
According to Kilifi county health officer, Dr Anisa Omar, the hospital has been facing hard time in dealing with emergency cases particularly accidents victims.
“This hospital serves three sub counties, Kaloleni, Rabai and neighboring Kinango due its location the institution has been receiving about 200 accidents victims a month of which about 60 we are
forced to refer them to Coast general hospital.” She said.
According to her the hospital’s number in delivery has increased to 391 over the last month due to the commencing of free service.
Speaking at a ceremony to hand over an ambulance donated to the hospital by the Turkey embassy, Dr. Omar noted that the facility despite resembling like a dispensary was serving the purpose of a
level 4 hospital.
Sources noted that reluctance to acquire title deeds for government institutions among them health facilities and schools has led to massive grabbing of public land to private developers.

A hole at the sinking male ward building

The county government of Kilifi has set aside 80M to improve the hospital infrastructure and construction of mortuary facility that the management says has been waited for a long time.
According to Kaloleni district medical health officer, Dr. David Mang’ong’o the construction of the facility will reduce the cost to many locals who seek for services from the institution.
“There have been difficulties by the locals here who are forced to get the body of their diseased to coast general hospital a move that is not easy to many.” He revealed.
Despite the challenge facing the expansion, the hospital’s male ward might fall if efforts are not take at an early stage to stop the building which is in the verge of sinking with crack on its walls due
to what experts in building industry said was poor workmanship.

Relocation
However, the minister in charge of health in Kilifi county government, Dr.Swabah Ahmed revealed that they have set aside 10M to rehabilitate the sinking building.
“We have been working with experts from public works, ministry of lands officials and currently plans are at advanced stage to have structural engineering work on the male ward building for it to continue give the necessary service to the public.” She said.
According to the minister effort are underway to acquire land from Kenya agricultural research institute (KARI) in Mariakani to construct a bigger hospital to serve the increased population.
However Kilifi county senator, Stewart Madzayo, warned that no one was going to let go with a public land and revealed that the original they were going to use the original mapping of the hospital to get back the hospital land.

Governor Kingi confer with Kaloleni MOH, Dr David Mang'ong'o

He said the locals seeking service to the hospital were more important than an individual holding the land meant for public institution and added that hospital land cannot be private.
“As leaders we are accountable to the entire problems our people are facing and the county government will not rest until all the land problems come to a rest in this county. We do not care who has which
connections in the corridors of power but all those who acquired land illegally the constitution is clear.” Warned Madzayo
Also present during the handing over of the ambulance donated to Turkish embassy, was Governor Amason Kingi, echoed sentiment by leaders present of getting all public land out of private hands.
He revealed that they were working with the central government to secure all the public land and have schools, hospitals and other public institutions have title deeds to prevent grabbers.
The governor pointed fingers to local for sidelining with outsiders to sell of public land to private developers.
“We have been accusing upcountry people grabbing our land but the truth of land is that our own people are responsible. In the case of Mariakani those who allowed this to happen are the people who were in
charge of Mariakani county council.” said Kingi
The governor urged those holding public land acquired illegally to surrender failure they were going to face the full force of the law as they give a guideline to revoke all the titles obtained unlawfully.
Kingi revealed that the county government will in the next financial year set aside, 210M to facilitate land survey and adjudication aimed to solve the land problem and promised to deal with squatters’ problem in the county for the next two years.
End