NAROK COUNTY PRIORITIZES ON HEALTH CARE

The County Government of Narok has allocated Sh200 million for health centers, with the aim of aligning the quality of the region’s education and health services to the national economic development blueprint, Vision 2030. 

A County Health Strategy is being developed to expand coverage and promote effective health services to residents as a show of commitment by the county to improve primary healthcare to ensure better health for all and an equitable healthcare finance system.

The plans include the construction of three Level-4 hospitals and 91 dispensaries, to decentralize health services and bring them closer to the people. Investments will be channeled to human resources by increasing the recruitment of health personnel to handle patients on time.

A baby is vaccinated at a rural clinic

Further, the county government has entered into a contract with the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) for the procurement and delivery of sufficient medical drugs. Tunai is appealing to development partners to assist his county government build the facilities, saying he cannot accomplish the feat single-handedly and without support from multilateral donors.

The appeal is meant to insulate the health institutions from running short of medical stocks or supplies. In the past, there have been claims of the facilities lacking basic drugs and other medicines. Patients have been referred to private hospitals to buy drugs with many protesting against the exorbitant costs. These complaints and the suffering of the residents prompted the county management to sign a deal with KEMSA and the governor is cautioning against the sale of government procured drugs.

The new partnership is likely to see hospitals and dispensaries in the vast pastoralist region benefit from increased medical supplies. Recently, the agency supplied drugs worth more than Sh10 million secured by the county authorities to redistribute to regional health facilities.

KEMSA Truck delivering medical supplies in Narok

Governor Tunai says they have signed an MoU with Kemsa for the delivery of medical supplies every month to enable patients seeking medical attention from rural health facilities gain access to quick diagnosis and treatment.

Measures have been put in place to ensure the proper storage of delicate drugs to maintain their high quality. Plans are also afoot to rehabilitate all health centers and dispensaries at a cost of Sh1 billion and to establish Level Four hospitals in all constituencies as part of the health intervention programmes .“The county government will ensure that qualified and experienced doctors and nurses are employed in all health centres,” Tunai says.