Murang’a County Assembly wants the Health Facilities Improvement Fund (FIF) evaluated and improved to make it more effective.
The County Assembly Committee on Health Services, through a report presented by the chairman, Boniface Ng’ang’a, raised concerns on the utilization and management of FIF in the county.
Ng’ang’a said the committee noted that only eight health facilities in the county were currently receiving the funds adding that all health centers and dispensaries should also be beneficiaries of the fund.
“The facilities receiving FIF are Murang’a County Referral Hospital, Muriranjas Hospital, Kangema, Maragua, Kigumo, Kandara and Kirwara Sub-County Hospitals and Kenneth Matiba Eye and Dental Hospital,” Ng’ang’a said.
The committee also raised concerns about hospital accountants having no control or access to the bank accounts yet they were required to report on the same.
Ng’ang’a stated that the committee also observed that there was no harmony between the county procurement and procurement at the hospital level as all procurement was done at county level.
Further, the committee also noted that there is no harmony and openness on revenue received and expenditure incurred to the management of health adding that the roles and responsibilities of hospital management teams are not well defined and that creates misunderstanding.
The committee therefore recommended that that effective July 1, all health centres and dispensaries be included as beneficiaries of Health Facilities Improvement Fund.
The report also recommended that the hospital accountants be given rights in the portal to monitor revenue and expenditure of their respective health facilities.
Further, the Committee recommended that the procedure and approval process of waivers be well defined to avoid abuse and pilferage and the procurement procedures be streamlined to enhance efficiency, accountability and credibility.
Another recommendation was that all hospital administration officers, accountants and medical superintendents be thoroughly trained on procurement and budgeting process on FIF dispensation.
The committee also called upon the CEC Member for Health and Sanitation to submit to the Assembly the final report on the implementation status of health facilities improvement funds for the financial year 2023/2024 by July 15, 2024.
The CEC for Health would also be expected to immediately develop and submit to the County Assembly the FIF utilization operational manual.
The motion was seconded by Kimorori Wempa MCA Elizabeth Wambui.
Nominated MCA Pauline Njeri emphasized that the fund utilization needed an overhaul arguing that having only eight hospitals receiving the funds was unfair and therefore health centres and dispensaries should be included as beneficiaries.
Kangari Ward MCA Moses Mirara underscored the importance of implementing all the recommendations they came up with and implored the Leader of Majority to make sure all the recommendations were implemented.
Purity Mugo and Martin Kariuki
