Governor Peter Munya: Corrupt medics to blame for health crisis in Kenya

Council of Governors Chairman Peter Munya has attributed the health sector crisis in counties to medical staff who he said are "resisting change whose time has come".

Mr Munya claimed the unrest by medical personnel witnessed in various counties is not about pushing for better pay. He alleged that it is a silent way of protesting against the introduction of new financial systems which are aimed at enhancing accountability and transparency in the health sector.

Council of Governors Chairman Peter Munya (left), flanked by Kenyatta University Vice-Chancellor Prof Olive Mugenda, listens as one of the participants at the Annual Global Patient-centred care conference at the university yesterday. Munya blamed a section of health workers in the counties who do not want change to the ongoing crisis in health care provision. (PHOTO: KAMAU MAICHUHIE/STANDARD)

Further, the Meru Governor claimed a substantial number of medical personnel have been benefiting from corrupt practices and are unhappy with county governments for sealing loopholes through which they used to loot colossal amounts of money from hospitals.

"Some of the staff in the health sector do not want change. They do not want to embrace new systems that will ensure things are done differently by enhancing accountability since they want to continue benefiting themselves," said Munya.

The Governor made the remarks at Kenyatta University (KU) where he was the chief guest during the official opening of the first Annual Global Conference on Patient Care.

The three-day conference brings together various global stakeholders in the health industry under the theme; Training and Delivery of Universal Healthcare.

Despite the challenges, he said, counties are determined to make ensure health provision becomes a success story, adding that health outcomes have improved by 35 per cent in the country while drugs intake had more than doubled in most of the counties.

"Counties will partner with institutions of higher learning like KU to train and enroll their medical staff for refresher courses for the purposes of capacity building in order to boost quality health provision service," he said.

The conference convener Titus Kahiga said the forum will focus on how to enhance patient-centred care in health institutions. Dr Kahiga noted that medics focus more on diseases and illnesses affecting patients but not on their welfare.

He said healthcare had evolved over time, with technology and inventions, losing the human touch necessary in the process of patient recuperation.

"At the end of the three days' deliberations, the conference will come up with resolutions that will ensure the highest standards of patient-centred care are adopted and maintained," he said.

Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor Olive Mugenda told the conference that the institution is determined to become the medical hub of East and Central Africa.

"The KU Teaching and Referral Hospital will open its doors in January next year while the construction of the first public paediatric hospital is in ongoing. Plans to establish the first public women's hospital are also in the initial stages," said Prof Mugenda.

She said the university will be happy to partner with counties in building capacity for their medical staff through the school of Medicine and Public Health.