The Public Service Commission has officially approved a new staff establishment for Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), authorizing a workforce of 1,805 personnel to bolster its operations as a Level six facility.

Under this new structure, 1,545 positions are designated for technical officers—representing 86 percent of the total workforce—while the remaining 260 positions, or 14 percent, will comprise administrative and shared services.

This expansion signals a significant growth opportunity for the hospital, which currently employs approximately 1,200 staff members, paving the way for improved service delivery once the human resource transition is fully implemented.

The finalized staff establishment was part of a suite of human resource instruments delivered by the Chairperson of the Kisumu County Public Service Board, Dr. James Obondi, and received by Dr. Olango Onudi, the Chair of the JOOTRH Non-Executive Board. Dr. Onudi subsequently handed the documents over to the Acting Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Joshua Clinton Okise.

The handover ceremony was also attended by Ms. Ruth Koga and Mr. Bill Omondi, the CEO of the Kisumu County Public Service Board. In addition to the staff establishment, the approved documents include a comprehensive 14-tier grading structure, career guidelines, and a human resource policies and procedure manual tailored to the hospital’s specific needs.

The hospital’s new organizational structure is built around five key directorates: Clinical Services, Integrated Health Services, Nursing Services, Training and Research, and Corporate Services. To ensure streamlined operations, the Chief Executive Officer’s office will directly oversee the divisions of Corporate Communications, Supply Chain Management, and Legal Services. In total, the hospital will operate through 25 distinct divisions, all focused on achieving excellent clinical outcomes and maintaining JOOTRH’s status as a center of excellence in specialized healthcare.

While receiving the instruments, Dr. Onudi commended the technical team for their tireless efforts, noting that JOOTRH was the only institution among several applicants to have its instruments successfully approved. He emphasized that as a specialized institution, JOOTRH required its own unique frameworks rather than relying solely on general national government policies.

Echoing these sentiments, Dr. Okise noted that the hospital remains on track within its six-month transition window, with the next critical step involving engagements with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to finalize staff salary approvals.