(Narok) – After a seven-month interruption, Narok County has resumed its ambulance services, addressing a critical gap in emergency healthcare access. The services had been halted due to management issues and a pending Ksh 79 million bill, which has now been cleared by the county government.
Narok Governor Patrick Ntutu explained that the initial disruption was a result of difficulties in managing the ambulance services and the need to address the outstanding debt. To prevent the mismanagement of public funds, he stated that the services were temporarily suspended after the previous contract expired.
“We had a small hitch in the way we were managing the ambulance services. When the contract expired, I had to stop the services to avoid wastage of public funds,” Governor Ntutu remarked.
The ambulances, which are hired from the Red Cross Society, will now be managed directly by the county government to ensure more efficient and reliable service delivery. However, the number of ambulances has been reduced from eleven to six. This reduction is attributed to the establishment of more health facilities across the county, which has improved local healthcare accessibility.
In the past two years, the county government has built and equipped 76 new health facilities, aiming to improve healthcare services at the grassroots level. Governor Ntutu emphasized that the focus is now on strengthening the county’s level four hospitals to bring services closer to the people. This will help reduce the distances citizens must travel to access medical care.
“We have built 76 new health facilities in the past two years, and we are focused on improving all level four hospitals so that people can access healthcare closer to home,” Governor Ntutu said.
Acknowledging public demand, Governor Ntutu shared that he had received numerous requests from citizens to restore the ambulance services, recognizing the challenges they faced without the service.
“I know the people have suffered without ambulance services for the last seven months, but I am glad that we have now put a structure in place to govern their operations so that we cannot waste public funds,” he added.
The six ambulances will be stationed across six sub-counties: Lolgorian, Kilgoris, Emurrua Dikirr, Ololulunga, Nairegie Enkare, and at the Narok County Referral Hospital. Antony Namunguk, the county’s Executive Member for Health and Medical Services, clarified that the ambulances will be managed by the sub-county medical superintendents, with only these officials authorized to dispatch them.
“In January 2025, the county government will employ 211 new health personnel to meet the growing demand for quality services,” Namunguk confirmed.