NAKURU, Kenya Oct 12 – Gilgil Mental Hospital in Nakuru County has received an Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT) machine, becoming the fifth public health facility in Kenya equipped with the specialised treatment technology.
The donation, made by friends and partners affiliated with Johnson & Johnson’s Europe, Middle East and Africa Strategy and Operations Team through the Kenya Mental Health Programme, is expected to improve access to specialised treatment for patients who previously had to travel to Nakuru City for the service.
The machine was handed over during this year’s national World Mental Health Day celebrations held at the hospital, marking a significant milestone in efforts to strengthen mental health services.
Dr Regeru Regeru of Johnson & Johnson said the donation was not part of the programme’s initial budget but was made after partners learnt about the challenges facing the hospital.
He said colleagues shared the hospital’s situation with friends abroad, who helped raise funds to acquire the equipment alongside support from the Kenya Mental Health Programme, implemented by the Africa Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF).
“With the help of our friends under J&J, we were able to meet a very specific point of need. The equipment finally landed and we are very happy that patients will benefit from it,” Regeru said.
ECT machine to end costly patient transfers
Gilgil Mental Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr David Kuria said the facility had been transporting patients to Nakuru County Teaching and Referral Hospital for ECT treatment, a process that placed a financial burden on the institution and exposed patients and healthcare workers to safety risks.
“The hospital ferries five to six patients to Nakuru City every Tuesday and Thursday. This is very expensive for the management and also dangerous for both the patients and the personnel in case of an accident along the busy highway,” Kuria said.
He explained that the hospital relied on an ambulance designed to accommodate one patient and a nurse in transporting several patients for treatment.
Kuria said the ambulance lacked passenger seats and seat belts, raising concerns about the safety of patients and staff during the journeys.
He also cited the risk of patients escaping during transportation and becoming difficult to trace.
The hospital management had additionally faced questions from Government Check Unit officers over the use of an ambulance to transport multiple patients, according to Kuria.
“With this machine, the patients will have better access to quality services. One patient requires six to 12 ECT sessions for an acute course of treatment, with the frequency being two to three times a week,” he added.
How the new machine will help patients
ECT is a specialised medical procedure used to treat certain severe mental health conditions, particularly where other treatments have not been effective or when a rapid clinical response is needed.
The new equipment will enable qualified healthcare professionals at Gilgil Mental Hospital to administer the treatment locally, reducing the need for repeated transfers to Nakuru City.
The acquisition is expected to ease the pressure on the hospital’s transport resources while improving the continuity and accessibility of care for patients who require multiple treatment sessions.
Regeru said the intervention was part of broader efforts to strengthen mental health services and ensure that patients could access appropriate care closer to where they live.
He also noted that healthcare workers across Nakuru County had received training to improve the identification and management of mental health conditions.
Nakuru healthcare workers trained on mental health
Regeru said healthcare workers in facilities ranging from Level One to Level Five had been trained to identify and handle mental health cases early, helping reduce the burden on specialised mental health institutions.
Community Health Promoters in Nakuru County had also received training on mental health issues, recognising their role as the first point of contact between households and formal healthcare facilities.
He said equipping frontline workers with the necessary knowledge would help communities identify people experiencing mental health challenges and guide them towards appropriate care.
Ministry calls for patients’ inclusion in policy decisions
Head of the Division of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health, Dr Mercy Karanja, called for people with lived experience of mental health conditions and their caregivers to be included in decisions affecting the sector.
Karanja said this year’s World Mental Health Day theme, “Lived Experiences Heard Make Positive Change,” informed the decision to involve people who had experienced mental health challenges and their caregivers in the national celebrations.
“Gone are the days of sitting in boardrooms and making decisions for people, so we have to include patients in policymaking and even infrastructure. As the saying goes, there is nothing for us without us,” she said.
She added that previous mental health laws had been oppressive to patients, but current policies were increasingly placing their needs and rights at the centre of service delivery.
The celebrations highlighted ongoing efforts to expand access to mental health treatment, strengthen community-level identification of mental health conditions and ensure that people with lived experience participate in shaping policies and services that affect them.