Health PS scanty on details as equipment leasing hits Sh9bn

Ministry of Health PS Peter Tum when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee at Parliament Buildings last week. PHOTO| JEFF ANGOTE 

By NASIBO KABALE

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Summary

• The health ministry varied the cost and the 47 counties will now have to pay Sh9.4 billion or Sh200 million each annually for leasing equipment up from Sh4.5 billion.
• The equipment are supposed to benefit 98 hospitals, among them two health facility per county and the country’s four national referral units.
• The leasing of equipment meant to handle ailments such as cancers, diabetes, renal conditions and maternal complications has attracted strong opposition from governors.
• Council of Governors’ Health Committee chairman Mohammed Kuti said the counties would oppose the rise in leasing cost since some of the equipment remain unused in the hospitals.

The Ministry of Health says it has more than doubled the cost of managed equipment service (MES) to cater for additional items and technology to link them up.

And just like it has failed to release procurement, contract, progress report and the Attorney General’s opinion for audit review, the ministry would not name the additional equipment, benefiting hospitals and the kind of network technology involved.

However, the ministry varied the cost and the 47 counties will now have to pay Sh9.4 billion or Sh200 million each annually for leasing equipment up from Sh4.5 billion.

“Increase in the yearly county allocation was because there was a need to buy additional equipment as a result of increase in demand by hospitals,” said Health PS Peter Tum.

“There was also the need to network the equipment through a healthcare information technology so at to improve efficiency and utilisation of the MES equipment in public hospitals”.

He would also not say whether counties will continue paying the standard Sh200m per year throughout the lease period, something that will inflate the overall MES cost to Sh65.8 billion, up from Sh38 billion originally budgeted for.

The equipment are supposed to benefit 98 hospitals, among them two health facility per county and the country’s four national referral units.

The leasing of equipment meant to handle ailments such as cancers, diabetes, renal conditions and maternal complications has attracted strong opposition from governors.

READ: Why ministry leased Sh38bn medical equipment

Council of Governors’ Health Committee chairman Mohammed Kuti said the counties would oppose the rise in leasing cost since some of the equipment remain unused in the hospitals.

“The machines are new and are of good quality but in this case I think the cart came before the horse in as far as planning goes,” he said.

Dr Kuti said the MES arrangement included on-the-job user and maintenance training, specialised training, and clinical training in specified fields, which is yet to happen.

According to the Health ministry, all the 98 hospitals were fitted with theatre equipment, 49 have been supplied with renal equipment and 11 have intensive care unit (ICU) equipment.

All the 98 hospitals now have radiology equipment.

The companies — Shenzen Mindray Bio-Medical Electricals, Esteem Industries, Belco S.R.L, Philips Medical Systems Nederland BV and GE East Africa Services — were to supply theatre equipment, theatre CSSD equipment, renal equipment, ICU equipment and radiology equipment respectively.