THARAKA NITHI, Kenya – The Council of Governors (CoG) is now proposing a thorough nationwide crackdown on unscrupulous health facilities operating illegally.
Led by the CoG health committee chairperson and Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki, the county chiefs observed that these facilities contribute to a larger percentage of deaths under negligence.
“We have indiscipline in the medical field where we are losing many mothers who are undergoing caesarean services which are not deserved and induced by businesspeople who are operating health facilities,” said Governor Njuki.
Governor Njuki, who spoke in Mpukoni, Tharaka Nithi county, during the groundbreaking ceremony for a 40-bed maternal unit at the Mpukoni Health Centre, noted the need for Kenyans to be keen about the healthcare services they get at whatever level.
“I fully support our Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale when he calls for the shutdown of illegal health facilities because there are some private hospitals which were licensed as level 4 facilities, but when you conduct an inspection, they can’t even meet the standards of a level 2 hospital,” added Governor Njuki.
Why Kenyans should consider registering with SHA
The county boss insisted that the current health system in the country, under the Social Health Authority (SHA), guaranteed patients the best quality with recourse if better services are not offered.
“The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) had a lot of teething problems. For instance, it had been invaded by cartels who were making unwarranted claims, and this is why we came up with SHA so that we could deal with and curb these cartels who had commercialised the healthcare sector,’ the governor added.
Governor Njuki further said he supports the SHA LIPA POLE POLE option, saying it was far cheaper for one to pay the whole year for SHA as opposed to paying an arm and a leg for a hospital visit without insurance. He has called on Kenyans opposed to the system to look at the benefits.
Consequently, Governor Njuki says counties will work closely with the Ministry of Health to weed out quack doctors manning health facilities across the country or those leasing their licences for operations in different parts of the nation under the guise of benefiting from government payments.
“We have said that we are going to streamline the health services by ensuring that all hospitals are registered with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), they are licensed, and they are also registered with the SHA,” added Governor Njuki.
He went on: “We also want the medical personnel to be licensed according to their skills. We want to put a stop to the commercialisation of health services. We want professionalism in delivering healthcare in Kenya.”
According to the CoG health committee chairman, they have received numerous reports of health facilities operating illegally at the detriment of patients who are unsuspecting and receive substandard services.
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Pharmacies are also on the radar of both the national and county governments as they mushroom daily, but upon closer scrutiny, it is found that they do not have the necessary documentation to operate, thus putting the lives of the patients visiting the chemists at risk.
Tharaka Nithi is also looking into investing in cancer early detection machines in all its 115 health facilities in the next year, noting that it is one of the regions heavily affected by the scourge.
According to Governor Njuki, as a devolved unit, they are prepared to invest in a final and total solution for early testing of cancer. He regretted that some of the county hospitals lack cancer testing machines.
“I want to assure my people of Tharaka Nithi that in the next few months, we want cancer testing in Tharaka Nithi to be done even at a dispensary level,” he said.
Tharaka Nithi County has at least 115 health facilities.
“We want to see to it that every health facility in Tharaka Nithi must have cancer testing equipment. We have discovered that there are some cancer testing machines that are affordable. I want to thank our government because in the SHA tariff, there are monies paid to test for cancer,’ explained Governor Njuki.
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