Governors from 13 counties have
initiated a plan that will see the region share medical specialists as a
way of addressing staff shortfalls in the devolved units.
The
strategy is the brainchild of the Lake Region Economic Bloc that brings
together 13 counties from Nyanza, Western and parts of the Rift Valley.
Many hospitals in the region lack skin, cancer, ENT (ear, nose, throat) and dental specialists.
The
counties that are part of the plan include Kisumu, Homa Bay, Kakamega,
Kisii, Migori, Nyamira, Siaya, Vihiga, Bungoma and Busia. Others are
Bomet, Trans Nzoia and Kericho.
According to the governors, every devolved unit will share the specialists they have within the bloc.
“For
instance if we have a specialist in Kisii in a given area, we should be
able to share within the region. If the person is not moving then it
would be done by local telemedicine because in all the counties we have
improved diagnostic services and telemedicine is now a reality,” said
Kisii county governor James Ongwae.
“The hospitals will
specialise in treating different ailments in a move aimed at improving
healthcare access and reducing patient burden in key referral
institutions,” he added.
The
plan will be among topics on the agenda for a two-day health conference
to be held at Kisii University starting next week on Wednesday.
Other
issues to be discussed include high diseases burden, limited number of
health facilities, inadequate of human resource for health facilities,
high prevalence rate for malaria and HIV and infant mortality rates in
the devolved units.
Earlier, World Bank health adviser
Khama Rogo had recommended that the devolved units share specialists
rather than employing them in order to address shortages and cut costs.
Dr Rogo said if what the counties proposed was implemented, it would reduce congestion in referral hospitals.
“They
are moving in the right direction. It is a very wise idea,” he said,
adding that healthcare was going to be affordable to all because
residents would be making trips to neighbouring counties rather than
Nairobi or Eldoret which have referral hospitals.
Under
the devolved system of government, several Level 5 hospitals in the
region have now attained referral status including the facilities in
Kisii, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Migori and Bomet counties.
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