Investment in health will bear positive results

Four-year-old Hassan Furahani can today afford a smile. Three years ago, some doctors predicted he would not live to celebrate his fifth birthday because of a Congenital Heart Disease CHD). Despite that glum prediction and coming from a humble background, his grandmother did not give up hope.

A referral to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) for treatment did not yield results. Instead, KNH referred the boy to India for specialised treatment, but the family could not afford it. At MP Shah Hospital, two years ago, nothing could be done for Furahani.  

Two weeks ago, however, Furahani was successfully operated on at the MP Shah Hospital in Nairobi. This followed the launch of a modern, fully-equipped paediatric intensive care unit that offers maximum care to children with complicated cases.

In its aim to attain Universal Health Coverage, it goes without saying that the Government must make additional invest in healthcare. Public health facilities can be improved upon to save time and costly treatment abroad.

Though Furahani’s is an uplifting story, it confirms the deteriorating standards of service in public health facilities.

It goes to explain why private institutions have an advantage when in real sense, with all the funding and all the expertise at their disposal, public hospitals should be the first and only best option.