Hospital upgrade promises lifeline for Garissa residents

For Halima Muse, the proposed elevation of Garissa County Referral Hospital to a level six national teaching and referral facility could spare her family costly journeys to Nairobi for specialised care.

Her four-month-old baby has a heart condition requiring regular check-ups at Kenyatta National Teaching and Referral Hospital — a journey that has placed a heavy financial burden on the family.

Speaking during a public participation exercise at the Garissa hospital on Wednesday, Muse expressed hope that the upgrade would bring cardiologists and other specialists closer to families in the region.

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“For the last four months, I have been making frequent visits to Kenyatta National Teaching and Referral Hospital. Whenever I travel, I have to pay for transport, accommodation, food and medical services. For a mother like me, whose family lives hand-to-mouth, this is not easy,” she said.

“This is the best news I have heard in recent times. Once this facility is upgraded and cardiologists are posted here, I will no longer have to travel to Nairobi. I will access these services right here in Garissa. I can only hope and pray that the process is expedited so we can start enjoying the services of a level six hospital soon,” she added.

Muse joined other residents in welcoming the proposal during the public participation session, which was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Health and the national government.

Residents said the transition would transform access to specialised healthcare across Garissa and neighbouring counties.

Dekah Halima Hassan highlighted the potential boost to youth employment, noting that the expansion could create job opportunities for medical students and healthcare trainees.

“We really want to thank the national government for considering this hospital for an upgrade to a level six facility. We know it will bring many benefits,” she said.

Doris Wangeshi added that the transition should attract more doctors and specialists while reducing referrals outside Garissa.

“Transitioning to a level six facility will bring more doctors and specialists. Fewer patients will be referred elsewhere because more people will be treated right here in Garissa,” she said.

Garissa County Persons with Disabilities chairperson Adan Bille noted that the upgrade would ease the struggles of disabled residents who currently travel to Nairobi for specialised care.

“We warmly welcome this development. As a local resident who has had to accompany close relatives to Nairobi for referrals, I believe this is great news,” Bille said.

He urged authorities to ensure the new infrastructure is disability-friendly, adding: “Subjecting persons with disabilities to unnecessary queuing would not be right.”

Residents also called for tighter oversight and better management to accompany the upgrade. Mohamed Ali Osman urged officials to plug existing operational leaks.

“I hope all existing loopholes are sealed once the upgrade happens. We should not see hospital-designated drugs finding their way into private clinics,” he said.

Bariki MCA Hassan Noor Dahir described the project as a landmark shift for the region’s healthcare landscape.

“This is a hallmark of excellence by President William Ruto. We are no longer marginalised, and we will soon have a national referral hospital,” Dahir said. “We will no longer rely on back-and-forth referrals and evacuations from Garissa to other national referral hospitals.”

Dahir urged Ruto to expedite the process and gazette the upgrade before the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition by next year. However, he acknowledged that converting the existing site into a fully-fledged level six facility would demand substantial investment in infrastructure, equipment and staffing.

He pointed to critical gaps, including the absence of a catheterisation laboratory and dedicated cardiology services, alongside limited operating theatre and emergency capacity.

To prevent local gaps, Dahir proposed that the county government use the transition to upgrade other local hospitals to level five status, redirecting funds currently used to run the main referral hospital to strengthen healthcare infrastructure elsewhere in the county.

Transferring management to the national government, he added, would unlock extra resources and expand specialised services.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has previously described the planned upgrade as “transformative investment.” Duale noted that the hospital will serve residents across Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Tana River, Lamu and Isiolo counties, significantly broadening access to specialised care throughout Northern and Eastern Kenya.

Instant analysis

The proposed elevation of Garissa County Referral Hospital could significantly change access to specialised healthcare across Northern and Eastern Kenya, where patients often travel long distances for treatment. For families such as Halima Muse’s, the potential benefit is immediate: fewer costly trips to Nairobi and access to specialists closer to home. But turning the proposal into reality will require investment in infrastructure, equipment, staffing and stronger hospital management.