Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has secured additional dialysis machines for Kerugoya County Referral Hospital, marking a huge leap forward in the county’s fight against kidney-related diseases.

The highly sophisticated dialysis machines comes as a major relief for patients who have been relying on subsidized dialysis services at the public hospital.

Four of the additional modern dialysis machines installed this week are already in use at the county referral hospital and have been described as game-changer in various treatment modalities, including hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

The upgrade, done under the National Equipment Support Program (NESP), raises the hospital’s operational machines to six. Two had been functional before the latest consignment. Another six are expected in the coming weeks, which will more than triple the facility’s capacity.

Waiguru has hailed the expansion of dialysis services as a promise fulfilled and a milestone in her healthcare agenda.

The upgrade is part of the transition from the Managed Equipment Service (MES) program, which had served the county for the last decade, to the new National Equipment Support Program (NESP).

“With this upgrade, more patients will now access reliable dialysis services right here at home without being referred elsewhere,” Waiguru praising partnership between County Governments and the National Government for the supply of the medical equipment.

County Executive Committee Member for Medical Services, Public Health and Sanitation, George Karoki, said the new machines are fully digital and come with advanced safety features.

“Once a dialysis session is complete, the machines automatically alert the medical team, unlike the previous manual systems. We can now serve more patients because of the increased capacity,” he said.

Karoki revealed that the renal unit had previously relied on two machines, serving just 10 patients and carrying out about 20 sessions per week.

“With the new equipment, the facility can now accommodate 30–40 patients, conduct 60 sessions weekly, and handle close to 300 sessions every month,” he added.

He added that the hospital remains the preferred center for renal care in the region, attracting referrals even from outside Kirinyaga.

The county is also awaiting delivery of an additional 6 machines for Kerugoya and at least five for each sub-county hospital to meet rising demand.

“The new dialysis machines are more advanced in terms of technology, they are able to self-clean saving on time and efficiency. They also have an integrated blood pressure machine and blood gas machine unlike the old ones and therefore we are able to monitor the patient condition as the dialysis services goes on,” he said.

The renal unit also provides nutritional counselling and meals after every session apart from educating patients on managing non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, which are the leading causes of kidney failure.

Senior renal nurse Racheal Nyaga, who has worked at the unit since 2017, said staff have already undergone training on how to use the new machines.

“We are very happy because patients who were previously referred to other hospitals can now receive care here. At the moment, we have about 30 patients under dialysis. With full county support, we are able to follow up on those with lifestyle conditions to prevent further kidney failure,” she said.

Nyaga advised patients to adopt healthier lifestyles through exercise, proper hydration, and timely medical checkups. For those requiring transplants, she noted that referrals are made to specialized hospitals in Nairobi.

For patients like Wambua Kioko, 85, who has lived with kidney complications since year 2022, the installation of the additional dialysis machines is a great relief to patients.

“I have depended on this hospital for my dialysis because the services here are good and relatively cheap. Dialysis in private hospitals are very expensive. I had transferred to another hospital before these machines arrived, but it was costly and very difficult. Now I feel comfortable and well taken care of here in Kerugoya,” he said.

Governor Waiguru has reaffirmed that her administration would continue investing in healthcare, saying improved facilities are central to her development agenda.