Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) is lobbying for financial support from the Russian government.
The hospital wants Russia to help it modernise. The facility constructed in the 1960s with support from the Russian government is currently grappling with ageing infrastructure and equipment.
In an effort to ease congestion and modernise its services, the hospital has been putting in place a master plan to present to different organisations for funding.
Under the new plan, the facility will pull down its old buildings to pave way for construction of a modern unit in the 22-hectare piece.
The hospital wants to double its bed capacity from the current 200, expand the laboratory services as well as construct a psychiatric unit under one roof.
Speaking during Hospital Master Plan Stakeholders Forum yesterday, the referral's officials said the original master plan was outdated and scattered services, making it hard for sick patients and persons with disabilities to effectively get medication.
“The new plan is going to bring services together. We want the facility to become a one-stop shop to serve the local population of about half a million and those from neighbouring counties,” said Medical Superintendent Juliana Otieno.
Dr Otieno added: “With the coming of partners such as medical training schools, there has been growing need to have a proper plan to attract more investment.”
Dr Juliana said many investors who had shown interest in putting up a modern facility were asking for a proper master plan to enable them know which areas to invest in.
Chairman of the master plan Mark Odawa said once the plan is ready, it will be presented to the Russian Embassy for funding consideration.
“We want to have a plan before approaching them (Russian government). The hospital had an operational lift, which no longer works making it hard for pregnant women to access services," he said.
Nyanza region has one of the worst cases of maternal deaths. The recent withdrawal of research funding by Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) and Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has seen most operations grounded.
