Siaya County has achieved the world health organisation’s requirement of a health facility within a five kilometer radius, county executive committee member for health, Dismas Wakla has said.
Wakla said that the achievement was as a result of commitment and prioritisation of provision of health care by the county government which, in the last decade has increased the number of health facilities by 39%.
Speaking during the official opening of the Obambo Community Health Centre in Central Alego ward Thursday, Wakla said that at the advent of devolution, the county had a total of 120 public medical facilities.
“This has increased to 147 and we are planning to open seven more before the end of this month,” said the CEC who was flanked by the area member of the county assembly, Leonard Oriaro.
He said that the increase in the number of facilities has not only brought services closer to the public, but was also in line with the national government’s universal health care policy.
Wakla appealed to Siaya residents to register with the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to ease the burden of health care.
The CECM called on the management of public health facilities across the county to initiate process of transferring land on which they are built to the county government to avoid cases where unscrupulous individuals may be tempted to interfere with them.
“There are several facilities that are built on lands donated by individuals or communities and we want such land to be transferred to the County government of Siaya so as to secure them,” he said.
Oriaro hailed the county government for funding the construction of the facility and called for expansion of the existing ones. “Our dispensaries and health facilities must now be expanded to have maternity wings, wards and even staff quarters,” he said.
By Philip Onyango
