The military has begun constructing another level IV hospital, the Lanet Regional Hospital. The Kenya Military Academy in Lanet, Nakuru, held the groundbreaking ceremony for the project. The ceremony was presided over by Defense Forces Chief Gen. Robert Kibochi.
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The Lanet Regional Hospital intends to open its doors in the coming eight months. It will be the fourth of its kind developed recently by the Kenya Defense Forces. Others are the Nairobi Regional Hospital in Kahawa Garrison and the Isiolo Regional Hospital in Isiolo. The Eldoret Regional Hospital in Moi Barracks, Eldoret, is the most recent of all the level IV military hospital.Â
The Lanet Regional Hospital will entail structural improvements from the previous three hospitals. This is according to Capt. Wilfrida Amondi, the project’s lead architect. Amondi stated that they have a 200,000-liter underground water tank for harvesting rainwater and a borehole. The latter has a hybrid operating system which is expected to rely primarily on solar power but with the capacity to use electricity when needed.
Additional Lanet Regional Hospital features
Amondi claimed that the hospital will have many specialized units when it is completed. These units will include an intensive care unit and a radiology department with services for CT scans, X-rays, and ultrasounds. Additionally, she said that it will also have a maternity wing, an expansive healing area and operating theaters. Moreover, the Lanet Regional Hospital will feature occupational therapy, and a playground for children.
According to Gen. Kibochi the KDF facilities are intended to offer specialized healthcare closer to service members, their dependents, and veterans across the state.This is in line with the Big 4 agenda’s healthcare pillar. Furthermore, the facility is intended to attend to both retired and active-duty soldiers as well as their families from the Nakuru region and its environs.
In addition, Gen. Kibochi said that talks are currently taking place on how to extend medical services in the hospitals to the civilian population for a fee. This he explained is in order to gradually wean the hospital off the exchequer for the sake of future generations and the sustainability of the level 4 facilities.
The KDF medical personnel, claimed that the Ministry of Defence has already brought in civilian medical experts.
Construction of residential houses and supportive structures
Approximately 3,500 houses will be built across the country through a public-private partnership. This Gen. Kibochi explained that is in a bid to advance the welfare of soldiers and their families. 900 of the 3,500 houses will be built in Nakuru.
Moreover, Gen. Kibochi said that a Defence Forces Canteen Organisation (DEFCO) mall would be constructed next to Lanet Regional Hospital. This will make shopping for soldiers and their families more convenient.
On the sidelines of the ground breaking ceremony, Gen. Kibochi inspected the expansion of the level I Medical Reception Station (MRS) into a level II hospital at the 3rd Kenya Rifle Battalion. The MRS will house a maternity wing, an operating theater, a dental clinic, and consulting offices once it is completed.
