Iten: Elgeyo Marakwet County has operationalised a modern Emergency Dispatch Centre at Iten County Referral Hospital. The facility, now fully functional, will serve as a 24-hour coordination hub for emergency response, integrating call management, real-time ambulance dispatch, and better communication between communities, emergency response teams, and health facilities across the county.
According to Kenya News Agency, residents can now access emergency services via dedicated lines 0704282828 and 0709000430, marking a shift toward a more responsive, technology-driven healthcare system. Speaking during the launch, Governor Wisley Rotich announced that ambulance services within the county will henceforth be offered free of charge, a move aimed at eliminating financial barriers to critical care.
‘This Emergency Dispatch Centre is a major milestone in our journey towards achieving universal health coverage at the county level. We are committed to ensuring that all residents, especially the vulnerable, can access timely emergency medical services without financial strain,’ said Rotich. The governor emphasised the importance of equitable service delivery, urging healthcare workers to uphold professionalism and fairness. ‘I urge our staff to serve without prioritisation and not to frustrate patients in need of urgent care. Healthcare is a right, and we must ensure equity for all residents of Elgeyo Marakwet,’ he added.
Rotich further cautioned members of the public against misuse of the emergency lines, noting that the efficiency of the system depends on responsible utilisation. ‘I appeal to our people not to misuse these lines so that we can effectively respond to genuine emergencies,’ he said. The centre is powered by the Ambulensi App, a digital platform that enables dispatchers to identify and deploy the nearest available ambulance to an incident location, thereby reducing response times and improving patient outcomes.
The initiative has been implemented in partnership with the Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation (EMKF), whose representatives lauded the county for prioritising emergency care systems. Speaking at the event, EMKF representative Lilian Mwaihini underscored the critical role of a timely response in saving lives and highlighted the organisation’s broader support to counties. ‘Timely access to healthcare can make the difference between life and death, and with this centre, that access is now just a call away. We partner with counties to bring healthcare closer to the people, and so far, we have renovated 10 emergency departments, including Elgeyo Marakwet,’ she said.
The county government reiterated its commitment to continuous investment in healthcare infrastructure, with plans to further upgrade Iten County Referral Hospital into a centre of medical excellence. She concluded that the operationalisation of the dispatch centre is expected to significantly enhance emergency preparedness and response capacity, ultimately improving health outcomes across Elgeyo Marakwet County.
