KISUMU, Kenya, Oc 11 – Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga has challenged staff at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) to improve patient care and address public complaints over service delivery.During a visit to the Kisumu-based facility, Oluga called for greater accountability, professionalism and teamwork, saying the hospital must take concerns raised by patients and their families seriously.He warned that the institution could not ignore complaints about patients’ experiences, regardless of whether all allegations circulating in public were accurate.“ Irrespective of whether those complaints are accurate, we as a professional institution cannot afford to bury our heads in the sand,” Oluga said.The PS urged hospital management and staff to reflect on their conduct and assess how their actions affect people seeking treatment.He said public confidence in healthcare depended not only on the quality of medical treatment but also on how patients were received, guided and handled throughout their hospital visits.Oluga assured residents that the Ministry of Health had taken note of their concerns and was committed to ensuring the facility improved its services.“I want to tell the community that we hear you, we are here for you and we are going to do everything possible to ensure that when you come here, there is no other agenda other than your health,” he said.Oluga announced plans for transformational training targeting hospital staff to strengthen teamwork and promote a culture of patient-centred care.He said every employee had a role in shaping patients’ experiences, from security guards and cleaners to nurses, doctors and administrators.According to the PS, patients could receive appropriate medical treatment but still leave dissatisfied because of poor treatment by other members of staff.“Sometimes the doctor treated you very well, but the watchman didn’t talk to you well,” he said, emphasising the need for professionalism across all departments.He also called for closer collaboration between JOOTRH and nearby training institutions, including Maseno University and Uzima University, to strengthen professional standards and improve healthcare delivery.Oluga said healthcare services depended on integrity and urged staff to earn the trust placed in them by patients and their families.“Healthcare runs on integrity,” he said.The PS noted that JOOTRH served patients from more than 14 counties, making its performance critical to healthcare access across western Kenya.The facility was elevated to a teaching and referral hospital in June 2025, with the change intended to strengthen specialised services and reduce the need for patients to travel to Nairobi for treatment.Oluga identified cancer, sickle cell disease and complicated malaria among the conditions requiring stronger specialised healthcare services in the region.He highlighted the burden of cervical cancer, saying about 4,000 of the estimated 7,000 patients he cited came from the region.The PS said expanding treatment capacity at JOOTRH would help reduce the financial burden on patients who travel to Nairobi for specialised procedures, including radiotherapy, as well as lengthy waiting periods for treatment.He acknowledged the hospital’s positive response during previous emergencies but cautioned that achievements in some areas should not shield the institution from scrutiny over service delivery complaints.Oluga urged residents to continue raising concerns through constructive channels, saying public feedback was essential to strengthening the institution and improving patient care.He reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring JOOTRH fulfils its mandate as a major referral centre serving western Kenya and surrounding regions.