BY ANTONY GITONGA
The Government requires Sh79 billion to overhaul the medical sector in line with World Heath Organisation (WHO) standards.
In its investment plan, the Ministry of Medical Services says that the country requires 57 medical training colleges and 35 medical universities to address the issue of personnel.
Dr Masasabi Wekesa, the senior deputy director of Medical Services, said the funds were meant to address the issue of infrastructure and personnel. He said that it had emerged that the country required extra medical staff, noting that the current institutions could not address the shortage.
“We need to address the issue of medical facilities that are ill-equipped, personnel and infrastructure so that we can decongest our hospitals,” he said. Masasabi was addressing the press during a two-day national Emergency Medical Services (EMS) symposium at a Naivasha hotel. During the workshop, it emerged that the country’s EMS was below the set standards, with lack of ambulances being the biggest challenge. Masasabi said the country had only 568 public ambulances, majority of which do not meet the set standards.
“We want to do away with hospitals charging fees for using their ambulance services,” he added. He noted that the country did not have a trauma registry, adding that proper data management was needed urgently. On the going safety programme that is been funded by WHO, Kent Stevens from Johns Hopkins Centre in the US said the project had been a success.
