Health sector takes back seat in budget

Taita-Taveta Governor John Mruttu responds to questions when he appeared before the Senate's Public Accounts and Investment Committee at Parliament on August 2, 2016. The governor’s office is slated to spend Sh31 million on accommodation alone. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The county’s health facilities remain ill-equipped, lacking essential equipment in hospitals, forcing residents to seek treatment elsewhere.
  • Patients in critical condition are routinely transferred to better equipped hospitals in Mombasa, Nairobi and neighbouring Tanzania.

The Taita-Taveta County government has put aside nearly Sh76.4 million for hospitality and travel in its budget.

The money will cover accommodation, catering services, gifts and drinks for the offices of Governor John Mruttu, his deputy and the county assembly.

The governor’s office, which has been allocated Sh138.5 million this financial year, is slated to spend Sh31 million on accommodation alone.

Governor Mruttu’s office and that of his deputy have been assigned Sh4.7 million for catering, drinks and gifts.

The county’s finance executive Vincent Masawi says the recent elevation of Mr Mruttu to deputy chairman of the Council of Governors (CoG) has raised his travel costs because of his new responsibilities.

The county assembly, which has been allocated a Sh571 million budget for the year is expected to spend a total of Sh36.5 million on travel and accommodation allowances for members.

This, in addition to Sh4.2 million on catering services, food, drinks and gifts.

While defending the high expenditure on hospitality, Dr Masawi argued that the county has prioritised health, agriculture, infrastructure and education in its Sh4.6 billion budget.

The county’s health facilities remain ill-equipped, lacking essential equipment in hospitals, forcing residents to seek treatment elsewhere.

County hospitals lack intensive care units (ICUs) or high dependency units (HDUs).

The Nation’s investigations found that one manual or electric ICU bed such as the ones needed in these hospitals, would cost about Sh100,000 and Sh190,000 respectively.

The total allocations for hospitality in the offices of the governor and his deputy and the county assembly, if channelled to the health sector, would buy several machines for anaesthesia, one of which costs Sh1.2 million and a host of other important equipment for the ICU.

Patients in critical condition are routinely transferred to better equipped hospitals in Mombasa, Nairobi and neighbouring Tanzania.

This year, the county government allocated Sh5 million for construction of an ICU at the Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi.

The county’s Health Services director, John Logedi, says his government would increase the ICU allocation in the next financial year.

Dr Logedi says the department had prioritized hiring of health officers in this financial year.

“I agree the allocation is too little but we saw it wise to set aside some little funds as we wait for more funds in the next financial year,” he said.

He said 80 medical staff would be recruited to reduce staff shortage in public health facilities in the area.

Among those to be hired are paediatricians, physicians, nutrition and dietetics officers, radiographers, pharmaceutical technologists, mortuary attendants and general nurses.

Nurses have been issuing threats to down tools if the county government fails to hire more nurses in Moi