Health facilities to utilise own revenue as county set to launch fund

Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa with his Medical Health officers inspecting new maternity wing of Mlava sub county level four hospital on March 9, 2023. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

Public health facilities in Kakamega County will manage their own revenue after the county decided to establish Health Facility Fund.

The fund will guarantee hospitals' autonomy and ensure each of them utilises the revenues they collect going forward. This will ensure money is used for equipping the health facilities and improving infrastructural development to enhance quality of services offered.

Kakamega County Chief Officer for Medical Services Dr David Alila said the Ministry has followed due process of formulating the Bill which gives the management of various hospitals to retain revenue generated by their facilities instead of taking the funds to Kakamega County Revenue Agency where it is chaneled to other sectors.

He added the law will ensure the health sector does not depend on the executive which is the Ministry of Finance for funding and budgeting.

"The money will not go to our revenue agency but it will fully come back to our health facilities to ensure there are drugs, adequate personnel, and infrastructural projects and ensure services are offered uninterrupted," said Alila.

"We have taken the Bill to the county assembly for approval and also to the cabinet where Governor Fernandes Barasa is fully behind the move to ensure health services are revolutionised and residents access medical services," he added.

Alila said the health facilities will collect funds and after three months the facilities will spend all the funds without being taken to the revenue agency and treasury.

He added that the money is collected from levels 4 and 5 and will also be budgeted for levels 1,2 and 3 for purposes of health services.

"Level 1,2 and 3 depends on the county to facilitate them besides donors and other financing means but with this facility fund, money collected from all levels 4 and 5 will also cater for the low cadre facilities and the fund will ensure the facilities spend 100 percent of their collections," said Alila.

Titus Mumia, one of the directors of medical services, said the law will enable the funds generated from the health facilities to be well utilised and benefit the facilities in acquiring all services in the health sectors.

"The governor is keen on ensuring the health sector is improved and that is why we are launching this fund, the recurrent expenditure has been Sh700milion and the governor said to ensure he meets his goal of reviving the ailing health sector, it was increased to Sh1.2 billion in this 2023/2024 financial year budget to make sure residents get quality healthcare services," said Mumia.