Kwale county government stops the construction of new health facilities and turns its focus to revitalizing and the upgrading of existing facilities.
The coastal county government has vowed to revitalize primary healthcare centres for better service delivery. Governor Fatuma Achani says the devolved government will be providing equipment, drugs and personnel to the existing health facilities so as to play the role for which they were built.
Governor Achani stated that before the inception of devolution in 2013, Kwale had only 35 health centres, but today has 162 health facilities spread in the sub counties of Matuga, Msambweni, Kinango, Samburu, Shimba Hills and Lunga Lunga.
She says the focus now turns to the revitalization and renovation of all the healthcare centres across the coastal county and ensuring they are optimally functional.
Speaking in Msambweni Sub County during a public forum Achani says quality primary healthcare and infrastructure is indispensable to achieving the Universal Health Coverage in the country.
“The goal of building many health facilities was to enhance access to quality healthcare services and take essential health services closer to the people,” she said, adding that the county has been working towards strengthening health facilities to boost healthcare delivery.
Achani says the devolved government seeks to achieve long-term universal health coverage and promote a healthy and productive society.
She went further “because of budgetary and resource constraints we will now be forced to renovate existing facilities, procure necessary medical equipment, and employ additional health workers to meet the increasing demand for healthcare services.”
She says the existing workforce will be rationalized as a stop gap measure as the county seeks to hire more healthcare workers to provide services in all corners of the region.
The Governor emphasized her administration’s strategic focus on primary healthcare as the foundation of a robust public health system.
Acahni underscored the urgency to equip the healthcare facilities, recruit more health workers and enhance medical supplies in order to boost healthcare delivery and meet the healthcare demands of the people.
She noted that quality healthcare delivery to the people of the coastal county was one of the primary concerns of her administration.
Acahni says in a bid to provide easy access to health care services for all residents the devolved unit will initiate a transformative process to revitalize the existing primary healthcare facilities.
She says in a bid to increase access to quality healthcare at the grassroots her administration has prioritized the recruitment and employment of healthcare workers in the county.
Achani says the number of healthcare workers has increased significantly from 365 in 2013 to 1800 in 2024 ensuring a stronger and more competent manpower to cater to the healthcare needs of the population.
“This increase reflects specialists such as gynecologists, urologists and psychologists further enhancing the range of services available to our people,” she said.
She says the county will continue to recruit requisite health workforce to ensure that all primary health care facilities have the minimum staffing requirements appropriate for their level.
She says the county welcomes stakeholders who will help the devolved unit in the delivery of healthcare services to the people.
“We are determined to prioritize healthcare provision to ensure access to health services for all, particularly the poor and the vulnerable, thus contributing to overall productivity,” she said.
Achani further says the ongoing construction of the Sh 65 million cancer treatment centre and the provision of free health services at Level 2 and 3 facilities have further improved access to quality healthcare in the region.
The coastal county boss says the new oncology centre aimed at improving cancer care once complete would ensure early detection for the disease and save many lives.
Achani called on people to take proactive steps to safeguard their health and seek timely medical attention when necessary and improve their wellbeing rather than wait until a situation deteriorates.
By Hussein Abdullahi
