A senior medical officer has called for the urgent construction of a specialised trauma centre in Kisumu town due to increased road accidents.
Kisumu Consultant and Orthopaedic surgeon Dr James Obondi called on the Kisumu county government to embrace private public partnerships to build a modern trauma facility.
Speaking to the press on Saturday at his office, Dr Obondi said the centre will improve trauma treatment among patients thereby reducing deaths by more than 50 per cent.
“We welcome the plan to have a trauma unit so that we can serve our patients well,” he added.
He said the unit will cater for victims of accidents, fires and other trauma incidents in the region.
The medic said the centre will also facilitate training of health personnel in Western Kenya on Advanced Trauma Life Support.
Dr Obondi said such projects should be done in consultation with the Trauma Association of Kenya, Ministry of Health, Kenya Red Cross Society, Surgical Society of Kenya and other referral hospitals.
He called on stakeholders in the healthcare industry to support initiatives by the government to ease access to better healthcare by all Kenyans.
Dr Obondi said most victims of road accidents in the region are transferred to Eldoret and Nairobi.
"Kisumu is at the heart of the country and connects most regions. It is only fitting that a trauma centre is set up at such a central location," he said.
He said Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital gets many trauma, surgery and emergency cases, which will be treated at the centre.
“We receive an average of eight accident victims especially bodaboda operators per day,” he said.
Dr Obondi decried the sharply increased accidents since the government zero-rated motorbikes three years ago.
He said more than 3,200 people have died in road accidents involving motorbikes in the last three years.
He noted that the high rate of accidents involving the riders is a result of lack of requisite driving knowledge by the operators.
Dr Obondi urged Governor Jack Ranguma to unveil road safety sensitisation programmes across the county in a bid to reduce road carnage.
He said the road safety campaigns aim to reduce the number of accidents by motorcycles.
He said the bodaboda transport needs to be structured because it offers employment to the youth.