The Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital is scheduled to start carrying out heart operations soon. CEO John Kibosia said the hospital is training experts and other staff who will run the Cardiac Unit.

"MTRH will soon start operating heart patients because we are upgrading our cardiac unit to have well trained staff and facilities," he said.

Kibosia said the main killer diseases in the country are heart problems, obesity and others related to lifestyle. The CEO has advised Kenyans to engage in sporting activities to maintain good health.

Kibosia spoke at a stakeholders meeting to prepare for the Kass Marathon which will be held in Eldoret town this week. MTRH is one of the sponsors of the race.

The hospital has planned to put up the first ever Sports Medicine Complex in the country to carter for medical needs for sport personalities, especially athletes, from the region.

"As a hospital we are prepared to support our communities in this region to maintain quality health and that is why it is important to recognise the role of sports in achieving this," Kibosia said.

During the recent Olympics Games held in London, a doctor and a physiotherapist from MTRH were attached to Team Kenya.

Uasin Gishu county commissioner Abdi Hassan said sports has played a major role in the development of the region. Kibosia said MTRH would partner with other stakeholders in the region to improve health services as the country heads to the new county system of government.

"As a national hospital we will partner with other hospitals to ensure that we improve the facilities we have in this region so that members of the public can access quality healthcare", said Kibosia. The hospital has lined up a number of new projects as part of the expansion initiatives to make it a fully fledged referral institution.

Apart from the Sports Medicine Center, MTRH is already putting up a new Psychiatric Unit and Drugs Control Unit. It will use more than Ksh 400 Million to put up a Cancer Center while the Shoe4Africa Foundation is planning to develop a special children's hospital at the institution expected to cost more than Ksh 1 Billion.