Good news for patients at Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital (PGH)

Nakuru residents are set to benefit from new state-of-the-art laboratory testing equipment at the new outpatient complex at the Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital (PGH).

The move will bring the once-deserted complex to life, almost a month after the commissioning of the maternity ward.

According to a health official at the facility, the new laboratory testing equipment is expected to increase accuracy by nearly 100 percent and significantly improve efficiency.

Test results are now expected to be ready in a record time of 15-30 minutes, compared to the previous turnaround time of 1-2 hours.

Musa Ramadhan, Head of Laboratory Services at PGH, says: "This is a game changer for our patients. The new machine, one of seven in Africa, will be able to release results for 600 patients per hour, compared to the previous one-stop-shop machine that could only handle tests for 60 patients at a time".

The new equipment can perform a wide range of tests simultaneously, including liver and kidney function tests, HIV screening, hepatitis B and C detection, and diabetes monitoring through HbA1c testing.

It also supports hormone profiling for women, measuring follicle stimulating hormone levels, and can assess testosterone levels in men. The device also allows testing for cardiac markers and various cancer indicators.

"The new system will be linked to our laboratory information management system, allowing clinicians to receive real-time test results on their phones or computers in their respective wards," Mr Ramadhan says.

Training of the facility's lab technicians is underway, with around 24 specialists being trained over a period of two to three weeks, after which the hospital will roll out the tests.

While the installation of new advanced equipment is certainly a positive step, progress on the larger project remains slow. The four-storey, state-of-the-art outpatient complex, which cost around Sh600 million and was due for completion in 2021, is still in the process of being equipped .

The outpatient wing was specifically designed to improve service delivery and reduce congestion at the facility.

"Equipping the complex is no small feat, it takes a while, but we are making steady progress. We are moving a number of clinics into this building, including the state-of-the-art laboratory. We want to show the public that we are delivering value for money," says County Executive Committee Member for Health, Roselyn Mungai.

For the people of Nakuru, the improvements can't come soon enough and they are all looking forward to seeing the entire facility fully operational.