Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), has assured the public of its preparedness to handle suspected Ebola cases and other emerging infectious diseases.

The Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Philip Kirwa, said the facility had established isolation capacity and received medical supplies from the Ministry of Health, to support the management of suspected cases and protect healthcare workers.

Speaking in Eldoret during a visit by the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Health, the CEO revealed that the hospital had so far received about 10 suspected Ebola cases, all of which tested negative.

He said one of the patients had been placed under quarantine for 21 days following a recent Ebola incident in Nairobi because the individual had travelled on the same plane as a person who later tested positive.

The patient was subsequently released after testing negative and completing the required quarantine period.

Dr. Kirwa affirmed that MTRH currently had no active Ebola isolation case, adding that most patients who had presented symptoms associated with the disease had tested negative and were instead diagnosed with malaria.

“We are fully prepared. We have what we call a World Bank Isolation Centre, where we admit patients for quarantine, isolation and treatment,” he said, citing its isolation facilities, protective equipment and capacity to respond to a possible outbreak in the region.

The facility has an Isolation Centre with a capacity of approximately 18 beds, alongside another unit with more than 30 beds currently used as an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which can be converted into an Ebola Isolation Centre, at short notice if an outbreak occurs.

The CEO said the Ministry of Health had supplied personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essential commodities, to support the hospital’s response.

The assurance comes as health authorities strengthen surveillance and preparedness measures following reports of suspected cases, with MTRH positioned as a key referral facility serving western Kenya, the North Rift and neighbouring countries.

Earlier, the Committee, led during the visit by its Acting Chairperson, Kilgoris Member of Parliament (MP), Julius Sunkuli, expressed  satisfaction with the Hospital’s utilization of public funds and progress on  the ongoing development projects.

Sunkuli said the Committee had met the Hospital’s CEO and Senior Management Officials to review expenditure under the 2025/2026 Financial Year Budget, assessing both recurrent expenditure and development projects.

He said Parliament had a responsibility, to ensure public funds allocated to national referral hospitals, were properly utilized and delivered value to the public.

“We find that most of the funds, having been spent have been spent well. The projects that are ongoing are going on well, and we are satisfied that we have done our role for today,” she said.

Sunkuli noted that MTRH played a critical role in providing specialized healthcare services to patients from the Rift Valley and Western Kenya, as well as neighbouring Uganda and other countries.

He said the oversight visit was part of the Committee’s responsibility, to monitor the performance of national government health institutions and ensure accountability, in the use of public resources.

The Committee was expected to proceed to Kisumu as part of its oversight tour of health facilities.

MTRH is one of the major referral hospitals, serving a wide catchment area, making its preparedness and capacity to respond to emerging infectious diseases important to regional health security.

By Ekuwam Sylvester and Brian Seroney