Recent reports in the press have highlighted the sorry state of health services across the country.
It is therefore expected that as the devolution conference gets underway in Meru, the health issue will be front and centre. Undoubtedly, there have been commendable strides.
Coast General Hospital became the first public hospital, outside Kenyatta National Hospital, to perform an open-heart surgery; Intensive care unit facilities can now be accessed by the public in Kericho, Meru, Bomet and Kisii counties; residents of Wajir County have 24-hour access to district and sub-district hospitals.
Yet despite all these achievements, there is a sense of dissatisfaction among health workers that cannot escape the governors’ attention. The persistent strikes over delayed salaries and promotions need to be addressed urgently.
It is heartbreaking that patients at Kakamega County Referral Hospital have to sleep on cardboard because the facility lacks mattresses. Meanwhile, patients at Vihiga County Referral relieve themselves in basins because the toilets are out of use. In some cases, patients are released before full recovery to create room for incoming patients.
In Nandi County, a strike by health workers is now in its second week. Kapsabet County Referral Hospital remains deserted by workers, leaving desperate patients unattended to.
Governors have blamed delayed disbursement of funds from the national government for some of these shortcomings.
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True, the health sector didn’t have it easy under the national government either. But the counties have a unique opportunity through good governance to improve service delivery.
The conference offers an opportunity for open discussion with the national government so that solutions to some of these persistent problems are found.
