Bungoma County says Sh217 million free maternity funds yet to be reimbursed

Bungoma County says it is owed Sh217 million by the Government as reimbursement for free maternity services.

The county says it has not received any money for free maternity services from the national government for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 financial years.

Health Executive Stephen Kokonya told The Standard on phone that the national government owed the county Sh133 million for the first financial year and Sh84 million for the next.

And Kakamega County says it is owed Sh195 million for free maternity fees for the past two years.

According to David Oluoch, Kakamega County director of health services, the Government is supposed to repay Sh5,000 and Sh2,500 for any delivery at a health centre or dispensary respectively.

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"We received the funds once since the Government promised free maternity services. We are straining as the county government to cater for the services yet we do not have enough funds," Dr Oluoch told The Standard.

And Mr Kokonya said Bungoma County has been facing many challenges due to an increase in the number of women visiting health facilities for free maternity services.

"We are crippled because we can't offer good services to pregnant women due to lack of funds from the national government. The free maternity service is a ploy which is meant to hurt services in counties. We are suffering because we cannot turn away pregnant women who know that maternity services are free," he said.

He disclosed that the health sector was likely to be paralysed due to lack of funds, and asked the Government to be clear about its capability to handle the health sector.

Kokonya said it is expensive to cater for maternity services, which has forced the health department to divert funds meant for other departments to cater for maternity in the health facilities.

He accused the Government of failing to honour its promises on free maternity three years since the Jubilee Government declared it would offer the service to all Kenyans.