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Kisii County is grappling with theft of drugs from health facilities.
Although the county government has spent over Sh150 million to buy drugs, locals say most of these medicines rarely reach patients in the targeted hospitals.
"Most of our hospitals are under-stocked with necessary drugs. The county government should put up a mechanism to deter all those who steal government drugs," said Mary Kemunto from Suneka.
The malaise of drugs theft has affected a number of hospitals across the county, including the largest hospital in the county, Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital (KTRH) where patients complain that they are forced to buy drugs, at a high cost, from private pharmacies.
Despite this setback, Governor James Ongwae's administration has set up the teaching and referral hospital complete with a CT scan, dialysis machines, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), high dependency unit, an ambulatory system and other modern equipment.
"We have also started constructing a 450-bed capacity male ward as well as a mortuary with the capacity to hold at least 100 bodies. It is evident that for more than 50 years, the Government did not offer the kind of service that county governments are doing," the governor said.
1,000 workers
Theatre machines at Ogembo and Keumbu sub-county hospitals that were acquired last year are also operational.
Meanwhile, Kisumu County Government has embarked on decongesting health facilities in Kisumu town by constructing new ones and refurbishing the existing ones.
Some 1,000 workers have been employed to boost human resources in the facilities.
Health Chief Officer Ojwang' Lusi said they have put up many facilities in rural areas within the seven sub-counties in order to decongest Kisumu County hospital and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH).
This is expected to reduce instances where patients share beds in the two facilities.
"In Seme, we have built Osewre, Kinda, Lolwe, among other dispensaries. We have also done staff housing and handed over the maternity unit at Kombewa," he said.
Dr Ojwang' said they now have an effective referral system with about 15 ambulances.
"Kombewa, JOOTRH, Nyakach and Papa Onditi hospitals have two ambulances each, while Manywanda, Chulaimbo, Kisumu County, Rabuor, Ahero, Masogo and Muhoroni hospitals have one each," he revealed.
He said JOOTRH has the best Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the west of Nakuru, with an eight-bed unit.
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