Counties have been urged to invest more in the health sector so residents feel the benefits of Universal Healthcare coverage.
The call came during the third UHC conference in Kisumu.
The three-day event in the lakeside city was taking stock of the challenges and successes of the UHC in the four pilot counties of Isiolo, Kisumu, Machakos and Nyeri.
Kisumu Senator Fred Outa, a member of the Senate Health committee, said more resources must be pumped into the health docket.
He said a shortage of personnel and drugs have made it impossible for patients to achieve proper attention and medication.
Speaking to the press in Kisumu after the event, Outa said counties must raise their budgets for healthcare and seek external funding to realise UHC.
He urged the national government to offload all health functions at their disposal to the counties and increase funds for proper management of healthcare.
“Counties are in charge of the health function and should be given the necessary finances to implement it and buy equipment," Outa said.
He said the Senate will investigate the Sh38 billion hospital equipment lease deal negotiated by the national government. Equipment is to be leased to all 47 counties that say they were not party to the agreement, lack trained personnel and said the national government must not deduct funds from their allocations.
He said the Senate already has put a caveat on national government payment to the contractor that supplied the equipment until when Senate finishes its investigation.
(Edited by R.Wamochie)
