The Senate committee on Public Investments and Special Funds has given a clean bill of health to Longisa County Referral Hospital for implementing all the recommendations made by the health committee of the house during its visit to the facility earlier in March, this year.

The committee, chaired by Vihiga senator Godfrey Osotsi, toured Bomet County for the better part of today, to familiarize itself with the progress on implementation of the recommendations that the house’s Health Committee on health chaired by Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago had made.

“We are impressed by what the county government of Bomet has done to bridge the gaps that had been identified by the senate, among them the hiring of a radiologist and a surgeon”, said Osotsi.

The senators also expressed their satisfaction with the progress that Governor Prof. Hillary Barchok’s administration has made in the construction of Dr. Joyce Laboso Mother-and-Child Wellness Centre which, according to the contractor, is at 97% complete.

“Having visited the project site and having engaged the contractor, we have a lot of confidence that the upcoming facility will be completed and operationilized in the near future”, said Bomet senator Wakili Hillary Sigey, who accompanied the senators as a friend of the committee.

According to governor Prof. Hillary Barchok, the upcoming facility will address the congestion in the paediatric and the maternity wings of Longisa County Hospital, a challenge that had been raised by the health committee.

Other issues that had been identified included the expansion of the incinerator to cater for the upsurge in waste following the rise in the number of patients seeking treatment at the facility. On this one, the committee was told that the new facility comes complete with an incenarator to address this challenge.

On the collection of revenue, the committee commended the hospital for going cashless, saying that its the only way to seal loopholes through which public funds are siphoned.

Further, the committee lauded the establishment of a management committee to run the affairs of the hospital. It recommended the regularization of the same, through a gazette notice, to give it the independence it needs to manage the facility, effectively.

Earlier on, the committee had paid a courtesy call on the governor, in his office, before embarking on their oversight mission.

The members of the committee included Senators Godfrey Osotsi (chair), Agnes Kavindu Muthama, Peris Tobiko, Beth Syengo and Wakili Hillary Sigey (friend of the committee).