Kenya Kwanza Kisii gubernatorial candidate Ezekiel Machogu says a motivated health staff is a missing link in the wider efforts needed to improve the delivery of health care services in county health facilities.
He said it is not good setting up modern hospitals with good equipment without the investment of similar efforts to grow the human capital that works there.
"The common denominator in the health care service delivery must always be motivating the health staff who play a key role to treat patients," he said.
Good flashy buildings that act as hospitals without people imbued with a good sense of service is a tragedy, he added.
Machogu is seeking the Kisii County top seat on the UDA party ticket.
He is facing stiff competition from ODM’s Simba Arati, Chris Obure of Jubilee and Manson Oyongo of KNC.
Others in the race are Ratemo Onchiri and Rev. Biyogo.
The UDA candidate was speaking Friday during a meeting with hundreds of health workers at Alexandria Hotel in Jogoo, Kisii.
Health care staff union officials who were present lamented poor and often late payments of their salaries.
Poor working conditions are a factor in the deteriorating of health services in many health facilities in the region, they said.
They also accused the outgoing administration of arbitrary sackings of staff, especially during strikes.
Currently, more than 80 health staff among them former union officials are yet to be reinstated by the administration two years later since they were sent packing.
On Friday, Machogu said he is ready to reinstate all of them if he wins the polls next month.
He said the focus of any county administration is to strengthen health care service delivery and not sackings.
"Ours will not be sacking or interdicting you but retooling and improving your profession for the betterment of the healthcare industry in our county,” he said.
He further promised to look into the welfare of volunteer health care providers who provide vital services in the villages.
"These people are often bypassed yet they provide very important services in the larger scheme of health care providers across the country,” he stated.
He said his administration would recruit more doctors and nurses as part of the efforts aimed at improving the doctor-patient ratio recommended by the World Health Organization.
