West Maternity Centre is a pre-colonial health clinic located at the heart of Eldoret Town. Since the 80s, the clinic has been providing maternity and child welfare services to residents of the in the area. The clinic also provides family planning and HIV testing.
“Because of the clinic’s proximity to where people live, it’s really been a favourite with the neighbouring communities,” says Dr John Koech.
“Owing to the increase in the number of our clients especially the mothers and children we thought it necessary for us to start the maternity wing,” says Faith Tarus, the Clinical Officer at West Clinic.
Having been in existence for more than four-decades, the centre’s building were badly in need of repairs. There was need to refurbish the clinic for it to continue serving the community and in August this year, Safaricom Foundation donated Sh1.7 million to revamp the facility.
Dr John Koech attending to a patient at the West Maternity Centre in Eldoret.
This is in line with the Foundation’s mission of enhancing the quality and extending the reach of maternal and child health services in the country.
“Good education and health are the basis needed for a healthy economy. We will continue working with all to ensure that we raise the living standards of Kenyans so as to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Safaricom Foundation Chairman, Joseph Ogutu.
The maternity got a complete facelift. From roofing, new floors and purchasing of hospital beds; all with the aim of transforming the lives of that community.
“This has created a good working environment because the rooms are now well lit and they have been made more spacious. The new maternity wing has new beds and the rooms have also been painted. We are grateful to Safaricom Foundation,” says Dr Koech.
Dr Koech hopes that in the near future, West Maternity will be a fully fledged hospital with the necessary equipment so that the patients will not need to be referred to other hospitals.
