The Kilifi government will spend Sh2.6 billion this financial year to improve health facilities infrastructure and equip hospitals.
Governor Gideon Mung’aro said the health docket was being given priority in his administration so residents at the grassroots level can access services.
He said in the past two weeks he has opened health projects in Mtwapa, Marafa and Malindi, which cost his administration more than Sh344 million in the past 11 months.
The projects include critical infrastructure in health facilities, digitising records to reduce congestion in hospitals and paying community health workers.
“We have bought drugs worth Sh323 million. This year we have set aside Sh650 million for drugs. The total budget for health this year is Sh2.6 billion which will be used to improve infrastructure and equip our hospitals,” he said.
Mung’aro said the county is working with partners to acquire equipment to treat diabetes patients. The equipment will be installed at Kilifi and Malindi hospitals.
He said they have also rolled out plans for the use of technology in hospitals and workers are undergoing training to learn digital record-keeping so they can move from the manual system where patients were required to carry a booklet.
“The move seeks to improve health services so patients records are taken once and they don't have to register every time they go to see a doctor. This will reduce long queues at health facilities,” he said.
With the new system, he said patients will only be required to use an identity card to see a doctor as their records will be in the database in all health facilities.
At Malindi hospital, he also opened a new kitchen with modern facilities, a blood bank, and renovated male and female wards.
Mung’aro also thanked Agakhan Health Services which donated a Sh20 million mobile clinics to be used for various health programmes in the grassroots.
Agakhan Hospital's medical director Sam Oula said, “The mobile clinic is from the German government and funded by the German Development Bank, they have done a lot of work in Kilifi for many years together with Agakhan Health Services.”
County assembly majority leader Ibrahim Abdi said they have invested heavily in the health sector and want medics to be taken for training abroad to acquire more knowledge and expertise.
“It will not be fair for us to invest a lot of money in the health sector yet our medical personnel are not being taken for further training,” he said.
