Experts to assess 121 medical centres

The county government has started inspecting health facilities as it prepares to roll out healthcare for all its residents.                                        

Speaking during the launch of the exercise yesterday, Governor Jackson Mandago said the inspection was necessary to get a clear picture of the state of the 121 medical centres and staff.

“The assessment will assist us even as we prepare to roll out our universal healthcare. We have to make sure we have a full report on maternal and child care so that we can optimise human resources,” said Mandago.

The governor said the county had sought help from a team of more than 50 health experts, drawn from various institutions, to audit the facilities and present their findings.

The specialists are from Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi University, Maseno, Kenya Medical Training College and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital among others.

“We hope to be among the first counties to successfully implement universal healthcare. At the end of the audit, I will be able to share it with my fellow governors so that they can also adopt it. We want to be leaders in championing the Government’s Big Four agenda,” said Mandago.

County Health minister Evelyne Rotich said the team would carry out a comprehensive inspection of the status of the facilities in order to identify healthcare gaps that needed to be bridged.

“The team comprises of doctors, nurses, midwives, lab and public health specialists. They are ready to assess and give us a report that we will work on. At the moment, as a department we have received blessings from the governor and we are looking forward to know the status of our facilities," said Rotich.

Dr Faith Yego, the team leader, said they would be using an assessment tool that has been developed and validated through facilitation from the Health ministry and World Bank.