Busia Deputy Governor Arthur Odera has reiterated that provision of quality healthcare services remains one of the priorities in their administration led by Governor Paul Otuoma.
Odera made the assurance on Thursday morning after making an impromptu visit to Kocholya Level Four Hospital in Teso North Sub County.
During the 6am visit that took workers at the hospital by surprise, Odera told the press that all county health facilities with inadequate equipment will urgently be attended to, while those with inadequate health staff are also set to receive additional staff to ease service delivery.
He said: “I came here to see for myself how patients are attended to, to see the kind of equipment that the hospital has and also to find out the challenges health workers at the hospital are facing.
“This is a Level Four hospital but the radiology department does not operate at night because it has no staff to work at that time. The lab is open although it has challenges that need urgent attention particularly the issue of equipment and the staff who are not enough to serve the patients.
As a county government, it is our duty to ensure that staff at our health facilities work hard and attend to patients seeking services the way it is supposed to be. We also have a duty to support all hospitals by ensuring they get the required equipment and have enough workers to attend to patients,” Odera explained.
Odera stated that reforming the health sector was part of their administration’s determination to ameliorate the suffering of patients across the county who lack access to proper healthcare.
In August while taking the oath of office Governor Otuoma pledged to improve and revamp provision of healthcare services in line with “Afya ni Mali” concept.
He said: “Within the first one hundred days of my administration, I shall mobilize resources to ensure that our hospitals have adequate drugs and non- pharmaceuticals.
Adding: “I shall work on the facelift of lower-level health facilities to provide primary healthcare in order to reduce referral cases to our County Referral Hospital. We shall strengthen institutional and technical capacities for effective service delivery.
I will equip and improve the level 4 health facilities in Nambale, Port Victoria, Kocholia, Amukura, Sio-port and Khunyangu. Our work to enhance community and health partnership engagement in preventive health interventions is expected to reduce morbidity rates in the
county.”
He also pledged to implement a scheme of service for all practitioners in the health sector including the Community Health Volunteers.
By Melechezedeck Ejakait
