Activists fault new county health laws

Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o (center) with Kisumu county assembly acting speaker Elisha Oraro (left) and majority leader Kenneth Onyango during the official signing of the county Health Bill, 2019. (Collins Oduor, Standard)

Civil societies organisations in the county have rejected the newly-published Health Bill, 2019.

Instead, they have offered to help Members of the County Assembly to rewrite the bill afresh taking into consideration policy gaps they claim are missing.

The organisations under the patronage of People's Health Movement (PHM), are led by Kisumu Civil Society Organisations Forum chair Barrack Ojiem and PHM coordinator Judy Otieno.

Others are Owino Aol, CEO, Community Action for Sustainable Development, Roy Otieno director, Tinada Youth, Mary Ger and Victone Onyango of Inuka Success Youth.

They cited a number of loopholes in the bill which, they said, would undermine the smooth implementation of primary health care.

Some of the concerns bordered on the establishment criteria and composition of the hospitals management boards. 

They said the bill had failed to define the term limits of Health Management Committees.

The concerns come a week after Health Executive Prof Judith Atyang appointed more than 100 people, most of them politicians, into health boards for various local hospitals.

The term limits is not the only clause faulted in the law. Also identified was licensing of private health facilities.

"The time slot is not sufficient for us to do anything tangible. We must have ample time to read and discuss the bill," Aol told The Standard.

They activists have called for a public participation meeting bringing on board stakeholders in the health sector.

Yesterday, Prof Atyang told The Standard that there was no cause for alarm as the bill was still at its infancy.