Image: COURTESY
Dr. Philip Kirwa, the new Chief Executive Officer at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) was once a medical intern at the same hospital in 1996.
He is now replacing Dr. Wilson Aruasa, whose term officially ended late last year as the new CEO.
Dr. Kirwa had been the acting CEO until last week Friday when he was officially appointed and welcomed as the new CEO of MTRH.
He was warmly welcomed by all the staff at MTRH with songs and dances to mark his tenure as the new CEO.
Being a staunch Catholic, Dr. Kirwa was accompanied by three priests who led prayers during the ceremony.
Dr. Kirwa’s tremendous progress has inspired young medics to work extra hard to achieve their hearts' desires and also to have passion for what they do.
“In the 1970s and early 1980s, when I was in primary school, the nearest school was six kilometres and one had to run there barefoot. There were no watches and you would use the sun to time yourself from school but I didn’t lose hope,” Dr. Kirwa said.
“Secondary school was my first time in a boarding facility.”
After four years in high school, he joined the University of Nairobi where he pursued his first Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and surgery and later on graduated in the year 1995.
“We were at the university for a long time because of many strikes and unrests those days, occasioned by the structural adjustments programs of the World Bank around 1992 and 1993. There were a lot of challenges at the university,” the surgeon said.
Throughout his journey as a professional, he has worked with Nakuru Provincial General Hospital, Valley Hospital, and MTRH where he was from the year 2004.
“I have also done some management training. We look forward to the day when we will not have patients sharing a bed, especially with the support of the government building a new hospital in Kiplombe,” the new CEO said.
He said the process of building the new hospital at Kiplombe, on the outskirts of Eldoret town, would help eliminate congestion.
The new CEO will be managing at least 3500 workers and double the number of patients in a single day.
“Industrial harmony has been our strength. Staff agitations affect services when they happen. We will work with staff closely and involve them in decision-making,” he said.
