Relief for Nyambene region as Meru governor opens first 60-bed male ward

Residents of the wider Nyambene region of (Tigania East, Tigania West, Igembe North, Igembe South and Igembe Central) are set to benefit from improved emergency and inpatient health care services following the commissioning of the first-ever male ward at Nyambene Level 4 Hospital, a facility expected to reduce referrals and improve treatment for accident victims and critically ill patients across the region.

Meru Governor Mutuma M'Ethingia on Tuesday commissioned the 60-bed ward comprising 30 surgical beds and 30 medical beds, saying the new unit addresses a long-standing gap in male inpatient care in Nyambene, where patients previously had to travel long distances for admission.

The governor said the project was driven by a personal experience after losing his father, an elder of Njuri Ncheke, due to lack of emergency admission facilities in the area.

“I cried because there was no emergency male ward in this hospital when I brought my late father here. He died before reaching Kirua Mission Hospital. I believed that if I ever became governor, no one else should die because of lack of a facility to cater for their health,” said M'Ethingia.

He added that accident victims from black spots such as Kawiru had often been forced to seek treatment elsewhere because the hospital lacked admission space and oxygen support.

At the same event, the county government handed over a KSh50 million outpatient block to a contractor and announced a Sh100 million inpatient block being implemented jointly with the national government, part of efforts to upgrade Nyambene Level 4 Hospital into a Level 5 referral facility.

M'Ethingia said the hospital would also host a newSh50 million diagnostic block equipped with a CT scan and other specialised machines to strengthen treatment capacity in the region.

“This is how we do it — practical steps, real investment and a clear focus on what matters: better services for our people,” he said.

Deputy Governor Linda Kiome said the facility would ease the burden on patients who previously travelled long distances in search of admission and specialised treatment.

“You have a hardworking governor who always thinks about the welfare of his people,” she said, while urging residents to register under the Social Health Authority for affordable healthcare access.

County Health Executive Mugambi Denis said Nyambene is among four hospitals targeted for elevation to regional Level 5 status alongside Miathene Hospital, Kanyakine Hospital and Timau Hospital as part of the county’s plan to strengthen referral services across Meru County.