Nyanza counties bid to improve health facilities

Governor Wanga during the launch of a special unit in the fully equipped Sh36.9 M maternal and newborn facility at the Homa Bay Hospital funded by the MPESA Foundations. [Jayne Rose Gacheri, Standard]

In their quest to reduce pressure on the Kisumu-based teaching and referral hospital, counties in the region have been seeking ways to improve service delivery in the health sector.

Most of the counties have upgraded and equipped health facilities to cater for residents, despite the challenges faced in supply of medicine.

This is aimed at reducing the burden on the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) and allow it to only deal with referral cases.

In Siaya, Governor James Orengo’s focus has been on the expansion of Siaya County Referral Hospital.

Health Executive Martin K’Onyango said the county is making positive strides towards providing quality health care.

“We have made achievements through the establishment of specialised units at the Siaya County Referral Hospital. We have acquired equipment and more ambulances supported by THS (Transforming Health Systems) funding,” said Dr K’Onyango.

Orengo’s administration targets to provide endoscopy services, procure drugs and non-pharmaceuticals and provide ICU services.

The county is facing a severe shortage of specialists and nursing staff, an audit report shows.

According to a report by a task force led by former Auditor General Edward Ouko-led on the operations of the county government, the shortage is worsened by employee attrition.

The report further says the administration is not fully addressed of the needs of health management in the county, thereby omitting key specialisations such as epidemiologists and health economists.

The minimum required average distance to a facility is 5km and Siaya is at 4.2km.

According to the task force, the department only needs to focus on improving existing facilities.

There are at least 23 facilities that have no operating laboratories because either they lack personnel or have lab space without equipment.

At least 43 primary care laboratories are needed in the county to effectively respond to the demand for antenatal care profile investigations.

On health financing, the task force noted that the health insurance coverage in Siaya is low at 16 per cent.

Leader of majority in the Migori County Assembly Ken Ouma said the health sector should be fully devolved.

According to the South Sakwa MCA, the best thing the government could do is to fully release health to the counties.

“The national government still holds a huge chunk of funds for this industry. It still makes decisions that affect counties on health matters in terms of machinery,” Mr Ouma said.

In Kisii, Governor Simba Arati says he is determined to transform the health sector by equipping sub-county hospitals.

“We want to have regular dispatch of drugs to satellite hospitals. We have cases where drugs are stolen to the benefit of few individuals, this is archaic and has to stop.”

He says health has worked under devolution. “We have the largest hospital in Kisii courtesy of devolution. Our focus is to improve on service delivery,” he says.

His administration is planning to equip the Mother and Child Hospital built under the past regime.

The governor says the delayed release of funds has been an issue.

“We need to pay staff on time to ensure that we have uninterrupted service delivery in the hospitals.”

Homabay Governor Gladys Wanga says her commitment to accessible, available, and affordable healthcare is stronger than ever. “Our relentless work for the people of Homa Bay continues unabated,” she says in March, all the 2,954 primary health volunteers began receiving their Sh2,500 monthly stipend and Sh500 remitted to NHIF.

She said: “I am counting on them to help us improve on the poor health indicators, including new HIV infections, infant mortality rates and gender-based violence,” says Wanga. In May, she commissioned a new Maternity Theatre at the county referral hospital.

“Healthcare today is about new ideas, new players, new approaches, and new technology. But in the past few years, only a handful of visionaries have delivered to clearly outline where all this “new” is going. Homa Bay County has embarked on the new Primary Healthcare,” Wanga says.

The governor is constructing a multi-million-shilling Emergency Centre at the county referral hospital, renovating the ICU, HDU and inpatient units.

In Kisumu, most medics maintain that the county government has not done enough in ensuring that provision of healthcare services is streamlined.

According to KMPDU Nyanza region chairperson Onyango Ndong’a, the fact that patients are still being referred to other counties, such as Uasin Gishu, is an indication that the devolved healthcare system is not working appropriately.

“Outrightly, I would say that the devolved healthcare is not working in Kisumu County. True indicators of a working healthcare are that people can access healthcare services to the standards that they want it and that is what is not happening in Kisumu County,” said Dr Ndong’a.

Ndong’a believes reverting healthcare services to the national government will not fix the mess. He advocates appropriate adjustments to make healthcare system work.

[Reporting by Isaiah Gwengi, Eric Abuga, Anne Atieno and Clinton Ambujo]