Meru Governor Mutuma M’Ethingia as Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital marks 100 years of service
Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital is marking 100 years of service as construction of a new oncology inpatient block nears completion.
The new cancer facility is expected to be commissioned during Cancer Awareness Month and will enable the hospital to provide continuous chemotherapy services.
Meru Governor Mutuma M’Ethingia said the facility would help reduce delays for cancer patients who currently have to book and wait for treatment.
“When I first walked into Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital after I took office as governor, I found out that cancer patients could not always receive chemotherapy when they needed in our hospital,” M’Ethingia said.
He said the hospital previously lacked a dedicated inpatient oncology block, making it difficult to provide chemotherapy continuously.
“That is now changing,” the governor said, adding that the new block would provide the space required to improve access to cancer treatment.
“For families facing cancer, every treatment session matters. Our goal is to make cancer care more accessible, more reliable and closer to the people of Meru,” he said.
A procession from Meru town as Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital marks 100 years of service
M’Ethingia spoke on Monday as the hospital marked a century since it began operating as a small dispensary in 1926.
The celebrations included a procession from Meru town to the hospital, led by M’Ethingia, Deputy Governor Linda Kiome, Meru County Executive Committee Member for Health Services Denis Mugambi, county staff and residents.
Over the years, the facility has expanded into a referral hospital offering emergency and critical care, maternity and reproductive health services, surgery and theatre services, cancer care, renal services, specialised outpatient clinics, imaging, laboratory and diagnostic services.
The hospital is also undergoing construction of a new twin-tower complex in a Sh1 billion project funded by the national government.
The project is expected to upgrade the hospital from its current Level 5 status to a Level 6 National Teaching and Referral Hospital and expand its capacity to offer specialised medical services, including delicate surgical procedures, cancer treatment and kidney care.
Meru Governor Mutuma M’Ethingia at the facility
Once complete, the upgrade is expected to ease the burden on patients from Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Isiolo, Marsabit and Laikipia counties who currently travel to Nairobi-based Level 6 hospitals for specialised treatment of critical and chronic illnesses.
M’Ethingia said the upgrade was part of wider efforts to expand specialised healthcare services and increase the hospital’s capacity to provide advanced medical care.
“From a dispensary in 1926 to the institution we see today, this is more than the story of a hospital. It is the story of generations of Meru families and the people who have cared for them,” he said.
The governor said the centenary celebrations should also mark the beginning of a new phase for the hospital as it expands its services and infrastructure.
Meru Governor Mutuma M’Ethingia
The centenary celebrations also featured a free surgical camp targeting children with various surgical conditions.
Mugambi said the county had partnered with the Kenya Association of Paediatric Surgeons to bring specialists from across the country to conduct the four-day camp at MeTRH.
“We have brought Kenya Association of Paediatric Surgeons from all over Kenya to conduct a free surgical camp here in Meru for around 120 children with various surgical needs over the next four days,” Mugambi said.
He said the initiative would give children requiring surgical interventions an opportunity to access specialised care without their families bearing the cost of treatment.
Meru Governor Mutuma M’Ethingia during cake cutting as Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital marks 100 years of service
Meru Governor Mutuma M’Ethingia as Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital marks 100 years of service
