Public Health and Professional Standard Principal Secretary (PS), Mary Muthoni, has assured all Community Health Promoters, that they will receive their payments.
She revealed that the disbursement process is ongoing in collaboration with the county governments.
The PS said that the process, which started last Friday, saw promoters from 10 counties receive December and January stipends.
Speaking at St. Martin, Kiambu Catholic Church in Njukiine Ward, Gichugu, Kirinyaga County, Ms. Muthoni said payments are done upon verification of the list by officers drawn from both levels of governments and how active an individual is, based on electronic gadgets provided.
The PS added that there is vibrancy in society and households, due to the services provided by the promoters at the doorstep.
She urged the public to continue observing basic health standards, hygiene, and environmental cleanliness, to prevent some diseases.
“Our community health promoters have been very active in our communities; we are paying them for the two months of December and January. The process started on Friday; we paid off about 10 counties, whose lists had been verified by National and County governments,” PS Muthoni said.
She said the Quality of Care Bill being drafted by her Ministry after assessing all hospitals in the country, would provide guidelines on how to facilitate them, through the Social Health Insurance Authority.
The Bill will seek to know the services provided in hospitals, the human resources, the equipment available, the standards, and whether they will provide the quality care deserved by the users.
“We are in the process of drafting the Quality of Care Bill. We have done assessments of all health facilities in the country, more than 14,000. We need a guideline, an Act to follow on how these hospitals are inspected, approved, and recommended to the Social Health Insurance Authority.”
The PS said, the Ministry is planning to deploy psychologists to counties to boost the already existing teams in a new programme to offer rehabilitation services.
“Drug addicts take a lot of time to recover, and the Ministry will commit to the programme,” PS assured.
She cautioned the public against the consumption of alcohol, particularly illicit brew, referring to a tragic event in Kirinyaga County that killed 23 people.
Muthoni said alcohol will not only damage personal health, but can also cause other diseases, including heart attacks, and, furthermore, destabilise families.
“Alcohol is something that can damage your health. It can cause diseases that you never expected. It has destabilised many families. It is possible we can proceed without alcohol,” she said.
Muthoni urged the 10 Mount Kenya counties to pass alcohol Bills, as soon as possible to streamline and regulate the business, which is claiming the future of the young generation.
By Mutai Kipngetich