The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the County government has developed a draft Quality Healthcare and Patient safety Bill 2025 in a bid to improve service delivery and enhance patients’ safety and dignity.
A Public participation forum held at Machakos Social Hall to gather views from residents on the draft Bill proposes the establishment of a Quality Health Care Authority, a regulatory body to oversee standards, enforce policies, and ensure patient safety.
According to Francis Mumo a senior representative from the Ministry of Health, The Authority will be supported by a Board Committee, which will oversee the registration of health facilities, monitor compliance, and recommend penalties for violations while ensuring high standards are upheld.
Mumo noted that the Authority will have a right to revoke or cancel the accreditation of healthcare facilities that are not meeting the set standards, thus jeopardising quality healthcare.
Abigael Muinde, a Health Policy expert, highlighted that the Bill outlines the objectives and guiding principles of quality health care, clearly defining the roles of both national and county governments in service delivery.
She noted that the draft Bill is at a consultative stage and encouraged the participants to freely give their views, which will be included in the final draft.
“The law cannot be effective without citizen trust. We will compile and forward your views for consideration in the final draft,” she affirmed.
However, during the Public participation, residents aired their concern that the draft Bill has not prioritised availability of drugs in hospitals, which has been a major challenge in most health facilities.
“The Bill talks about structures and oversight but says little about the actual availability of medicines, which are rarely found in our health centers,” said Jackson Mutua from Mumbuni in Machakos.
Mary Ndunge from Machakos echoed that while the Bill proposes the creation of a Quality Health Care Authority, defines patients’ rights, and sets up a Healthcare Tribunal, drug supply and low staffing had not been adequately addressed.
“We cannot talk about patient safety when there are no health workers in hospitals, and patients are forced to buy drugs from private pharmacies,” stated Ndunge.
The participants called for key amendments to the draft Bill to address the lack of essential medication and the persistent shortage of quality health workers in public hospitals and also to establish clear penalties for failure to stock medicine and employ health personnel in hospitals.
Residents also raised concerns about the enforcement mechanisms of the Bill and called for stronger community oversight to ensure that the outlined reforms are implemented effectively at the grassroots level.
By Anna Nthenya and Cate Kinyumu
