NEWS FEATURE
By Anchor Writers
For more than three months, admission at Machakos Level 5 Hospital has become nearly impossible.
The 530-bed referral facility is full.Not because services have collapsed — but because of an influx of patients seeking treatment there.
What was once an ordinary stinking public referral hospital has rapidly transformed into one of the busiest public health facilities in the lower region, attracting patients from Marsabit, Kiambu,Nairobi, Kitui, Makueni, Kajiado and beyond.
The pressure has now created an admissions crisis so severe that the county government is increasingly relying on Mavoko, Kangundo, Kathiani, Mwala and Matuu Level 4 hospitals to absorb overflow patients.
Yet even that is proving insufficient.
Hospital CEO Winifred Nzuki says the congestion is the direct result of aggressive reforms that have restored public confidence in the facility.“We thought about people first- the human resource at the hospital.,” she said during an interview.
According to Nzuki, the hospital deliberately focused on staff attitude change, patient-centered care, hygiene and specialist expansion.”We first targeted staff happiness.And it became the surprise trigger.
Nearly 840 staff promotions have already been effected, with more still ongoing. Staff welfare programs, training sponsorships and recognition awards were also introduced to improve morale and service delivery.Today, the hospital employs nearly 1,000 workers. The CEO says the changes have transformed staff culture, with healthcare workers increasingly prioritizing patient care and professionalism.
The reforms now stretch beyond administration into equipment mordanization and provision of specialized medicare.
“Machakos Level 5 has heavily invested in advanced services rarely associated with county hospitals.The facility now runs specialized clinics backed by consultants and specialist doctors.” she says.
In addition,Laparoscopic surgery equipment has reduced recovery time and shortened ward stays. Oncology services have expanded. “From 6 to 8 dialysis procedure to over 20 each day,Dialysis consumables are now readily available, Isolation dialysis services for HIV patients introduced and this has put us on the spin” ,says the hospital chief.
The hospital has hired a nephrologist and two neurosurgeons, making it easy to get the services in the hospital.
Additionally, the newborn unit has also been renovated and expanded, while Kangaroo Mother Care services continue supporting premature babies and vulnerable newborns.
According to Nzuki, the hospital now has 46 consultants — a number she says exceeds the population of ordinary medical officers at the facility.“That has attracted patients,” she noted.
The hospital’s kitchen system has also been modernized with gas-powered cooking replacing outdated methods, while continuous renovations and equipment upgrades are ongoing across departments.
The impact is now visible in patient numbers. Customer confidence is evident, she added.
The improved systems and automation have significantly boosted hospital revenue collections, with the health sector now emerging as one of Machakos County’s strongest revenue streams.Machakos Health CECM Justus Kasivu says the county is targeting more than Ksh2 billion in health sector revenue this financial year, arguing that the ongoing reforms are laying the foundation for a stronger healthcare system.
Kasivu insists better days lie ahead for healthcare in Machakos despite the current pressure on facilities.
But the immediate reality remains harsh.The hospital is overcrowded.
Beds are constantly occupied. Patients wait longer for admission.
Departments operate under intense strain as demand continues rising faster than expansion.
Ironically, the admissions crisis may now represent the clearest indicator that the hospital’s reforms are working.
For years, public hospitals struggled because patients avoided them.
Machakos Level 5 is now struggling because patients are actively seeking it out.
And unless capacity expands quickly, success itself may become the hospital’s biggest problem.
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