- The exercise seeks to assess the infrastructure, equipment and human resources for health in all the health facilities across
- The assessment will be able to inform the ministry on what services are offered by the various hospitals
Image: TEDDY MULEI
Five hundred research assistants on Monday began an assessment of hospitals and health centres countrywide.
The team was trained and equipped to do the Health Facility Census targeting at least 15,000 public and private health facilities.
The exercise is expected to go on for the next two weeks and close on August 25.
The exercise seeks to assess the infrastructure, equipment and human resources for health in all the health facilities across the country. This is to ascertain their readiness to deliver on the Universal Health Coverage agenda.
The exercise, according to the Health DG Patrick Amoth, is a prerequisite for the launch of the Universal Health Coverage.
The ministry has put in place a robust system of data validation that will begin as soon as the research assistants key in their first input into the electronic platform.
“Based on this data collected, we will be able to determine the gaps and then we will be able to reflect back as a government together with the development partners as to how to resource mobilise to address those gaps,” Amoth said.
We are going to use technology to be able to collect this data and I assure we are going to get credible data. The research assistants have signed a legally binding contract that they are going to deliver real results not results cooked under a tree,” the DG reaffirmed.
According to health CS Susan Nakhumicha, the assessment will be able to inform the ministry on what services are offered by the various hospitals.
This will help in the referral system as the country focuses on preventive and promotive health with Community Health Promoters being at the centre of service provision.
"We don't want when people are referred by the CHPs they find the facilities they have been referred to are not ready to offer the services they are looking for," Nakhumicha said.
"As an outcome, we will know which facility needs to be supported and at the end of the two weeks, we will share the report publicly for people to know which facility offers what service," she added.
The Council of Governors Health Committee chairman Muthomi Njuki welcomed the census.
He noted that it comes at a time when both counties and the national government are focused on strengthening primary health care services as a vehicle to attainment of UHC.
Njuki said the health facility census exercise will contribute towards that goal and help counties to better operationalise all the primary care networks in Kenya.
He further said effective primary health care services reduce the number of people needing services from higher level health facilities. It also improves referral mechanisms, and improves the overall cost efficiency of the health system.
“Despite these potential, primary health care has over the years remained poorly financed, fragmented, and a weak referral link in the health system,” he said.
National Assembly health committee chairman Robert Pukose on the other hand challenged the ministry to have a clear roadmap on how the identified gaps would be filled.
He observed that the assessment should be expanded to cover MoH noting that there are about 300 medical doctors that are under-utilised and should be redistributed to counties.
The lawmaker said the assessment should not just focus on the counties but should also involve the headquarters.
“You have about 300 doctors working in Afya House. Why do you need all the 300?" posed Pukose.
"You have doctors who are well qualified, people who are surgeons or obstetricians or paediatricians just pushing files from one office to another. That one should not be the case,” he said.
He expressed Parliaments support and commitment to the health sector and said they are ready to provide requisite budget to support implementation of the identified gaps.