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Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga wants a steady supply of drugs and non-pharmaceuticals at public hospitals for residents to access better health services.
Wanga said medicine and medical items used in managing diseases are essential and must be available in health facilities.
She spoke on Friday after touring Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Wanga was in the company of the county health executive Richard Muga, the hospital chief executive officer Peter Ogolla and KMPDU officials.
During the tour, Wanga realised that the hospital does not have a CT scan.
“We realized that accident patients are referred to Kisumu, Kisii or Eldoret. Medication has become so expensive for residents,” Wanga said.
“Some of the patients end up dying because of inability to seek a diagnosis.”
The hospital MRI machine that can be used for diagnosing ailments in the brain and spinal code also lies idle due to a lack of CT scan.
Little activities are also taking place in the Intensive Care Unit because it does not have nurses who can operate machines in the room.
The ICU was opened at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in September 2020 to help Covid-19 patients.
It has however failed to serve its purpose as nurses who were employed to run machines abandoned duties in search of greener pastures.
The nurses cited poor remuneration for quitting their jobs.
“My administration will ensure nurses are trained and deployed to operate the machines to enable residents to get services they deserve,” Wanga said.
Ogolla said medical standards require at least two nurses to operate one bed in every shift.
It means the ICU with 10 beds needs 30 critical care nurses per shift.
During the tour, Wanga met patients who pleaded for her to waive their medical bills but she encouraged them to register for the National Hospital Insurance Fund to reduce medical expenses when in urgent need of medical care.
“I realised that many patients at the hospital are not enrolled in NHIF. I want them to register to access medication at a lower cost,” she said.
The governor was also briefed by the Médecins Sans Frontiers Homa Bay Project Coordinator Dorothy Esonwune.
Esonwune asked Wanga to address the issue of HIV testing kits shortage.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
