Kanani further said Kitui women and the general populace can access treatment at reach courtesy of a partnership from stakeholders especially the Catholic Medical Mission Board.
“I wish, in a very special way, to take note of investments in our partnership with CMMB, which have bore fruits. Through their support, our nurses and clinicians have their skills enhanced to attend to health conditions and emergencies,” he said.
The deputy further said Governor Malombe recognises the critical role of Community Health Volunteers in healthcare provision and thus their services will be reinstated.
“Having the CHVs across the county will boost and bring closer primary healthcare services to Kitui residents especially women. Our women will no longer have to travel tens of kilometres to access treatment as it is now a doorstep away,” he said.
The CMMB country director, James Kisia, said his organisation will continue playing a complementary and supplementary role to enable the county government to provide optimum healthcare.
“We have majorly focused on maternal and child health because that is the part of the demographic that is most vulnerable. It is the most affected by poverty,” he said.
Kitui health executive Dr Winnie Kitetu said her department has the most committed and professional workforce but what the team lacks is a political goodwill from the leadership.
“The Ministry of Health and Sanitation has the best, qualified, committed, experienced and passionate staff. But this staff, are dragged behind and demotivated because of the absence of political will,” she said.
Kitetu said there is need to increase the budgetary allocation to county health department if it were to meet its mandate to the optimum.
She said a good chunk of the allocation is gobbled up in payment of salaries living little for healthcare.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
