Hire more health workers to meet WHO threshold

The WHO threshold density stipulates that there should be at least 4.45 health workers per 1,000 people. [iStockphoto]

According to the World Health Organisation, Kenya does not meet the set global health worker-to-population ratio. Even though the government has established more medical training institutions, the required threshold hasn't yet been attained.

The WHO threshold density stipulates that there should be at least 4.45 health workers per 1,000 people to deliver essential health services and achieve universal coverage.

Kenya falls below the required threshold whereby according to the human resources for health policy brief by the Ministry of Health, Kenya's ratio is at 13.8 health workers per 10,000 people. In rural areas, you may get that a dispensary has no more than five health workers.

Hence health services are very poor in rural areas. It's time for the Ministry of Health to consider employing more health workers to plug the gap in the health sector. Employing more health workers will help improve health services in both urban and rural areas.

This will raise the level of life expectancy in Kenya because many people will have access to better healthcare.

Letter from Simangwi Jackson, Migori