Governor: Scouts to monitor hospitals

The County government plans to hire scouts to monitor operations in hospitals with the aim of taming cartels.

Governor Kiraitu Murungi said cartels had hampered operations in heath facilities by creating artificial shortage of supplies forcing patients to buy drugs from private pharmacies and clinics.

“Although we have adequate supplies of medicine, patients are still being referred to specific chemists by unscrupulous staff, who also ask them to privately source for other diagnostic services such as imaging,” Mr Murungi said in Meru town yesterday.

He said his government would establish an efficiency monitoring unit under the governor’s office, which would send out scouts to catch errant staff.

“We are asking the unions not to respond to distress calls of errand members because we also believe unionists support diligent service to the residents,” he added.

Health cover

Speaking at the launch of the Meru County Health and Strategic Plan, Murungi said the county was planning to launch a Sh1,000 a year health cover.

According to Murungi, those enrolled in the scheme would not pay for treatment in all public facilities.

“We need to pass a county assembly Bill to actualise the plan. We are hopeful that in the next one year all the necessary research would have been undertaken,” he said.

He also promised to increase community health workers who currently number 1,500 and include 364 staff working under the Meru Youth Service.

The county government said it would explore avenues of converting the Meru Level Five Hospital into a parastatal to enable it attract more specialists and consultant doctors.