For five months, a CT scan in Tana River meant a long road trip to Mombasa, a bill of up to Sh15,000 for the scan and, for some families, a night in lodgings far from home. That ends now, county health officials say.

Hola County Referral Hospital has restored its CT scan and X-ray services, in a move expected to cut costly referrals out of the county, The Eastleigh Voice reports.

Half of all referrals were for one machine

County Director of Health Dr Nicholas Mwenda said the hospital had been referring between 16 and 30 patients a month to other counties, mostly to Mombasa, over the five-month period.

"About 50 per cent of the referrals we have been making outside the county are because we do not have a CT scan here," he said.

Each referral to Mombasa cost the county at least Sh30,000 in fuel alone, and Dr Mwenda said the savings could now go into medicines and other hospital needs.

For patients, the burden was heavier still:

  • A CT scan outside the county cost between Sh6,000 and Sh15,000
  • Patients also paid for transport, and some for accommodation
  • Many had to raise the money before they could make the trip

"It is an expense just to travel outside the county in search of better healthcare," said Abdi Ramadhan, one of the patients who had made the journey to Mombasa. Hadija Adhan, another patient, said she had to find money for both the scan and the journey.

More services back on

County Health Executive Joshua Jara confirmed the CT machine is operational, while Chief Officer for Health Ali Mluwa said the restored services would bring specialised examinations closer to residents.

The hospital's dental clinic has also resumed panoramic dental X-ray (OPG) services, and the county has installed vaccine cold-storage units to strengthen immunisation.

Hola resident Omar Maro said the restoration would spare families the transport and lodging costs that came with every referral.

A long-running struggle

Hola, the county's main referral facility, first introduced CT scan services in 2019 alongside its first renal unit, The Star reported at the time. But diagnostic services in the vast county have been disrupted by breakdowns and supply gaps over the years, and the county government has set ending out-of-county referrals as a goal, The Standard has previously reported.

The restoration comes as families along the River Tana grapple with seasonal flooding, which often cuts roads and makes the long journey to Mombasa or Malindi even harder.

Photos: The Eastleigh Voice / courtesy (restored CT scanner at Hola County Referral Hospital); Wikimedia Commons / Chking2 (public domain) (Hola hospital, 2005 file). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.