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Bishop faults devolution of health services

 Bishop Cornelius Korir of Eldoret Catholic Diocese

A clergyman has said county governments lack the capacity to run the health sector.

Catholic Bishop Cornelius Korir of Eldoret Diocese said it was a mistake to devolve health services because unlike the national government, devolved units are unable to handle health care.

He cited the many strikes that have rocked various hospitals in the country, subjecting patients to more suffering.

Korir said due to inadequate resources and manpower in the devolved units, they remain troubled.

"I'm not happy with the way county governments deal with the lives of innocent wananchi, especially when you look at the key services in health facilities, which have been in chaos since the health sector was devolved. This trend has also forced doctors and other paramedical staff to abandon their core duties to protest against the county governments for failure to take care of their welfare," Korir said.

Speaking during a special prayer day for the sick at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital's cancer wing, the bishop said governors whose areas have witnessed rampant cases of health workers' strikes should not be  re-elected.

"It is terrible that patients with malaria, TB and minor operations from counties as far as Busia, Kakamega, Kisii, Bomet, and West Pokot are being referred to MTRH for treatment for ailments that can be dealt with at the county level," he said, adding that Kenyatta National Hospital was also suffering the same fate.

He added, "I don't say that the county chiefs are not capable, what I mean is that they have been overloaded and some of them lack funds to run some important facilities like health centres."

MTRH Director Wilson Aruasa said the management is working on the issues raised. "We've been having challenges especially with salary delays but I can assure you that we are working on it," Aruasa said.

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