Sh666 million earmarked to convert Sh1 billion mobile clinics

Health ministry is seeking to spend Sh666 million to convert the controversial mobile clinics to a special programme for delivery of the Universal Health Care (UHC).

The revelation that is likely to trigger fresh debate about the 100 containers purchased at Sh10 million each was made on Tuesday by Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache.

Ms Mochache told MPs that the Government was seeking to utilise the clinics for delivery of universal healthcare to Kenyans living in informal settlements as well as hard-to-reach areas.

Universal Healthcare is one of President Uhuru Kenyatta's Big Four agenda and has since been piloted in Kisumu, Nyeri, Isiolo and Machakos counties.

The programme targets 3.2 million Kenyans with full rollout in all the 47 counties expected by 2022.

Staff recruitment

Appearing before National Assembly’s Health Committee, the PS said the ministry intended to recruit four personnel – two nurses, a clinical officer and a laboratory technologist – for each of the 100 portable clinics.

Each of them will be paid Sh70,000 per month for a period of 12 months, bringing the total cost for hiring human resource to Sh336 million.

The ministry further seeks to spend Sh180 million in procuring commodities and non-pharmaceutical items for the clinics for the period.

Another Sh150 million will be spent in ground preparations to install the clinics.

The money will be used to construct a plinth, washrooms, waiting bay, fence and water tank.

The ministry said that about 71 per cent of urban residents live in informal settlements, which are under-served in regard to health services, education, water provision, sanitation and garbage collection.

“The Ministry of Health procured 100 portable clinics during the financial year 2015/2016 to offer primary healthcare services to people living in informal settlements. Therefore, as part of implementing Universal Coverage, the ministry would like to make this venture a special national portable clinics programme for Kenyans living in informal settlements,” said Mochache.

MPs had started asking hard questions about the mobile clinics that have been wasting away at a yard in Mombasa following investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) over a possible misuse of taxpayers' hard-earned money.

Come clean

“The 100 clinics are supposed to be used to offer services in informal settlements and hard-to-reach areas. That is exactly what we intend to do given the investments made in procuring the clinics. We have decided to convert them into a special project under UHC,” she told the committee.

The lawmakers said the ministry should come clean on the proposal by providing details on the containers that have been held by investigative agencies in an ongoing probe.

The PS was asked to come back with a proper plan on how the containers will be used as well as what the ministry is doing to unlock the legal issues around the project.

They also want the ministry to inform the House if all the containers have been properly equipped and why the Sh10 million paid for each did not include transportation to various parts of the country.

The ministry previously told Parliament that it had written to EACC, which is probing the matter, to allow them use the facility even as investigations were going on.

Former PS Peter Tum had indicated that 11 clinics were already in use in Nairobi, while another 89 were still at a yard in Mombasa.