Jubilations rented the air at Matangwe Community Hospital in North Sakwa Ward, Bondo Subcounty, when Governor James Orengo officially opened a new maternity theater at the facility.
The construction and equipping of this modern theatre facility were undertaken by Caring Partners Global (CPG), a Canadian-based organization. The facility is equipped with advanced medical equipment, including a diathermy machine for controlling bleeding, an ECG machine, an anesthesia machine, a suction machine, a ventilator, and an oxygen concentrator, among others. The theater will facilitate procedures such as Caesarean sections, as well as minor and general surgical operations in obstetrics and gynecology.
In his address, Governor Orengo pledged to collaborate with partners like Matangwe Community Hospital to deliver on his healthcare agenda, as outlined in his 9-Point Agenda for the people of Siaya. The Governor also expressed gratitude to Mrs. Silvia Scott Ondiek for continuing the legacy of her late husband, Mr. Scott Ondiek, by giving back to the community in various areas, including the provision of health services, access to clean water, promotion of sustainable agriculture, and support for education.
Matangwe Community Hospital, founded in 2001 by the late Stephen Scott Ondiek, currently serves residents of North Sakwa, West Asembo, and West Uyoma wards. Stephen Scott Ondiek served as the hospital’s director until his demise in 2022. The hospital is part of the Matangwe Community Health and Development Program, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) now managed by his widow, Mrs. Silvia Scott Ondiek, as the Director.
According to Mrs. Scott, the new maternity theatre will ensure that residents no longer have to travel far to seek medical attention. She emphasized her commitment to improving the lives of the Matangwe community by creating awareness to prevent loss of life due to negligence or lack of knowledge. “My long-term goal is to implement an imaging system, including X-rays, within this facility with the support of the County Government of Siaya,” she added.
The Matangwe Community Health and Development Program also supports sustainable agriculture by providing power tillers to the community for land tillage. Additionally, the program grows fruits, vegetables, and seedlings and rears chickens, pigs, and cattle, which are used to feed patients admitted to the hospital. Through its water project, the program has sunk a well, treated the water, and distributed it to residents across seventeen villages. Over the past nineteen years, the initiative has provided two water tanks per village, significantly improving access to clean water in the area.
The program’s Education Scholarship project has sponsored over three hundred students, including notable professionals such as Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, Dick Osala, who currently serves as the Secretary to the Board of Management. Other beneficiaries include teachers, doctors, and business professionals. Since 2004, the organization has run a school feeding program at Matangwe Primary School and provides full school uniforms to the learners, further supporting education in the community.
The Governor was accompanied by the CECM for Health and Sanitation (Dr. Martin K'Onyango), Chief Officer in charge of Governance, Administration and ICT Hon. Walter Okelo, Mr. Chrispine Omondi (Director of Public Communication), Hon. Fredrick Opang'a (Youth Coordinator in the Office of the Governor ), Mr. Philip Wasonga (Bondo Municipality Manager), Mr. Vincent Kanyangoda (Bondo Sub County Administrator), Mr. John Otieno Anyango (Medical Superintendent in charge of Bondo Sub County), and the North Sakwa Ward Administrator, Mr. Willis Ang'awa, among others.