MCAs resolve to stop construction of multi-million hospital building

Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairman Harrison Mwaluko, County Assembly Health Committee chairman Muturi Mwombo and Deputy Speaker Steve Simba. [Joseph Muchiri, Standard]

The County Assembly has resolved to stop construction of a multi-million shilling buildings at the Embu Level Five Hospital and shift funding to stocking of essential medicines and buying medical equipment.

Deputy Speaker Steve Munene said the House swung into action after noting that patients were still suffering due to lack of drugs as the county boasted of magnificent buildings at the hospital.

“The Liaison Committee resolved to halt building projects at the hospital in an attempt to save the health sector. We decided to fix hospitals by providing drugs and medical equipment,” said Mr Munene.

In a supplementary budget, the legislature set aside Sh2.1 billion, equivalent of 32 per cent of the entire Sh6 billion county budget to fund various expenditure lines in the larger health docket.

The Embu Level Five Hospital has an extra Sh40 million for purchase of drugs within the next three months when the budget for the next financial year will be drawn.

The county has allocated an extra Sh100 million for payment of improved salaries to nurses as per a recently signed Collective Bargaining Agreement between the county government and the nurses’ trade union.

Munene, however, pointed out that this was subject to approval by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.

The Deputy Speaker said Sh27.4 million had been set aside for purchase of equipment in the county’s Level Four hospitals and a further Sh15 million for non-pharmaceutical provisions in all public hospitals to “end the bedding, reagent and food shortage in hospitals.”

The county will now have six Level Four hospitals after elevation of the status of the Kairuri and Kiritiri hospitals to join Runyenjes, Kianjokoma, Siakago and Ishiara hospitals.