• Locals in Magoto village of Migori county are usually forced to travel at least 13 kilometres to access a public health facility
• The situation is due to a stalled project for the establishment of a health facility in the area that was initiated over 10 years ago
• Some of the locals who spoke to TUKO.co.ke appealed to the Migori County Government to ensure the project is completed as soon as possible

Migori: A section of residents in Magoto village within Migori county has expressed concerns over a lack of a health facility within their area.

The locals claim they have been facing a challenge in accessing health care, even as a project for constructing a health facility in the area remains incomplete – over 10 years since it was initiated.

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Migori village with no healthcare facility

Some of the locals who spoke to TUKO.co.ke narrated how they are forced to travel a long distance to access medical services.

Mary Atieno is among the many locals who have experienced the challenge of not having a public health facility nearby.

“I had to give birth by the roadside at 2am while I was trying to reach Migori County Referral Hospital. The situation was made worse because of the lack of transport in the rural area,” Atieno told TUKO.co.ke.

The locals now feel they have been left out by the Migori County Government, and they want to move quickly to address the issue.

They questioned why the project had stalled for over 10 years since construction works were launched.

“We are left out. Please, our governor, complete and operationalize our facility,” noted Jack Ouma, another local.

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“It has been a long time with no answers to why our hospital is incomplete. We are getting tired of seeking for health services far as it needs us to have money which we don’t have,” Leonorra Ombajo.

For the locals in Magoto village, Wasweta II ward, Suna West sub-county, to get health services from a public hospital, they must travel at least 13 kilometres from the village.

Area Member of County Assembly Erickson Omondi admitted that the project had taken longer than it was expected to be completed.

However, he promised to ensure it is operationalised within the current financial year.

“I know about this dispensary, and already the county government has a located KSh 3 million in this financial year. I can promise that it’s going to work very soon,” Omondi told TUKO.co.ke.

18 Migori healthcare facilities operationalised

Previously, TUKO.co.ke reported that the Migori County Government had operationalised 18 health facilities.

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Works on the facilities had stalled for the last five years. However, the county’s Department of Health opened the facilities to enhance access to healthcare.

Some locals said that the 18 operational health facilities will help reduce the mortality rate among expectant mothers and children in rural areas.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke