‘More county cash’ – the chorus in Meru conference
The Third Annual Devolution Conference 2016 will came to a conclusion on Saturday 23rd April 2016 at Meru National polytechnic, Meru County.
The Senate and National Assembly boycotted the conference that brought together Governors, other top County officials and thousands of other delegates from across the 47 Counties.
The County Chiefs used the forum to look back at the three years of devolution, evaluate and plan ahead.
One of the major issues that needed urgent attention is the continued standstill of health service delivery in various Counties since the department was devolved in a bid to have services closer to the citizens.
You may also read, Devolution conference on, senators and mp’s boycott.
Counties have experienced many challenges ranging from inadequate or absence of the relevant infrastructure and equipment, personnel, medicine, to the continued strikes and boycotts calling for promotions and improvement of working conditions for medics.
The Governors, who now manage the devolved services, blamed shortage of qualified personnel, poor facilities and funding gaps by Treasury, for poor health services in the devolved units with participants at the third Devolution Conference interrogating human resources, infrastructure and equipment in the health facilities on the back of workers’ strikes that have paralyzed health services in some counties, the latest being the current ongoing strike in Nandi County.
Concerns about the handling of the Ksh. 38 billion leased medical equipment and inadequate resources to improve the welfare of workers and finance programmes like the free maternity services dominated discussions at the talks convened to take stock of implementation of devolved governance.
Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma, his Turkana counterpart Josphat Nanok, Paul Chepkwony of Kericho, Makueni’s Kivutha Kibwana, Ali Roba (Mandera) and Isaac Ruto (Bomet) expressed reservations on the implementation of the disputed Medication Equipment Service (MES), free maternity programme, immunization and recruitment of health workers at the counties.
Elsewhere, in the same line, Bungoma County’s Health Chief Officer Benard Nyongesa Mureka has echoed the talk in the Devolution Conference for an increased disbursement of funds to the County’s health docket so as to meet the needs of the citizens.
“We have several plans in place, all meant to increase better services to our people, but these are hampered either by the unavailability or inadequacy of funds,” Mr Nyongesa said.
Mr. Nyongesa, however, notes that the County has recorded massive positive strides in seeing the docket deliver productively, citing examples of improved infrastructure and hiring of more than 400 personnel, though he admits that there is much more to be done.
“We can’t always lament. These three years have seen us employ more than 450 health workers on permanent and pensionable terms, something that has not entirely solved the problem of inadequate personnel, but at least it has reduced the gap,” he says.
“We have also renovated and repaired various hospitals and health centres, some partially, others completely, a good example being the completed Kopsiro model health centre, in Mt. Elgon. A notable project that we have seen its completion is the 26 million paediatric section of our County Referral hospital that is now in operation.” He said.
He also noted that through World Medical Relief, an international organisation, the County has been able to acquire various medical equipment among them X-ray machines, MRI and other supplies worth more than Ksh. 6O Million.
In addition, the Officer proudly rejoiced in the fact that each sub County in Bungoma County has at least an ambulance under its name with several vehicles also having been purchased to improve health services to the people.
In line with World Malaria Day set for Monday 25th April 2016, the Chief Officer says that the role of eradicating malaria out of the Country, and county, greatly lies with the way of life of the people.
“This rainy season always records an upsurge of malaria transmission cases. I want to urge Bungoma County residents to use the recently mass distributed nets to avoid malaria infections,” he added.
“Cleanliness must be upheld to the greatest standards, to avoid water related infections,” he said in reflection of the recent cholera transmission cases in Busia County.
