The Catholic Church Archdiocese of Kisumu has launched a Sh97.6 million project seeking to build capacity for mission hospitals to help strengthen health services.
Dubbed Advancing Local Leadership in the Right Way (ALLRight) Uongozi Kawi, the project targets to strengthen structures and systems at the archdiocese department of health and the mission hospitals for effective healthcare delivery.
The project, which is being implemented by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), is being piloted in Kisumu and Siaya counties, covering 17 mission hospitals.
CRS Head of Partnerships George Okoth said the initiative also targets to partner with public health facilities in the two counties to create linkages and enhance access to quality healthcare.
Speaking during the launch of the project at Tumsifu Centre in Kisumu, Okoth said the church has partnered with Pharm Access, Strathmore University, and Villgro to look into how the mission health facilities, which play a pivotal role in health care, can be strengthened.
“We realised that there was no structured way for the church’s department of health to engage with the health facilities, which affected service delivery,” he said.
“The department will become a sustainable body, providing system support and oversight to the mission health facilities,” he added.
Through the partnership, he said, healthcare workers will be trained on effective health management, while Strathmore University and Villgro will support the facilities and develop business plans.
In the initiative, he added targets to ensure that the mission health facilities and selected public facilities covered under the programme come up with business plans spelling out how they can generate income to sustain themselves amidst dwindling funds in the sector.
Siaya County Governor James Orengo lauded the project, saying it will go a long way in strengthening health services in the area.
The Catholic Church, he said, continues to play a critical role in healthcare delivery, adding that through creating linkages with the public health sector, a lot more is set to be achieved.
The Nyanza region, he added, had one of the highest disease burdens in the country, adding that through the project, the health sector was set to build resilience to manage cases whenever they occur.
“We are very grateful to the church for the good work they are doing in the health sector, which is devolved. The interventions by CRS have impacted positively on health outcomes in this area,” he said.
Speaking on the same occasion, Kisumu Deputy Governor Dr. Mathew Owili said county governments were struggling to meet the cost of healthcare, calling for support from other development partners to effectively manage the sector.
“We rely on the county revenue fund and our own source of revenue to run the health sector. The bulk of this expenditure goes to the human resource function affecting service delivery,” he said.
By Chris Mahandara
