GOVERNORS' CONFERENCE: Counties get Sh19bn to reduce maternal deaths and improve child survival rates

The Council of Governors and the Ministry of Health will jointly implement a World Bank supported Sh19.1 billion project aimed at improving the quality of primary healthcare to reduce maternal deaths and improve child survival rates at the county level.

The project, dubbed “Transforming Health Systems for Universal Care 2016-2021”, was launched on the last day of the Devolution Conference on Thursday. It will be implemented over a five-year period.

The project will focus on reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and will allocate funds to county governments based on how well they utilise what shall be allocated to them initially. The performance-based strategy is meant to ensure proper use and efficiency of the funds meant for health interventions that target the most vulnerable and marginalised groups of women, children and adolescents.

The total funding of $191.1 million is financed by a World Bank International Development Association credit of Sh15 billion, Sh4 billion financed by a grant from the Global Financing Facility Trust Fund and Sh110 million financed by the Japanese government grant from the Policy Resources Development Trust Fund.

A huge percentage of the project funding will be disbursed to the 47 county governments as conditional grants.

This is the first intergovernmental project to be launched jointly by the two governments, with counties being involved through the Council of Governors.

PERFORMANCE-BASED

Counties will be funded based on a needs assessment and subsequently a performance-based strategy will be applied taking into account counties achievements in terms of improved and quality coverage of primary healthcare services, increased allocation of county health budgets and equity in the same.

The expectation is that counties will be able to use the increased funding to implement high impact interventions in primary health care that will benefit women of reproductive age, including adolescents and children under five, among the other target groups.

Initiatives that counties will come up with under the project should be in line with an investment framework that focuses on the target groups, tailored towards specific county needs and priorities anchored within counties annual work plans.

It will be implemented jointly by the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors.

Meanwhile, governors are calling for the transfer of the immunisation funds from national government to the devolved units.

Kisumu county boss and Health Committee chairman Jack Ranguma said most immunisation was being implemented by the county staff.

He questioned the rationale of having the funds controlled by the national government yet the most of the work was being undertaken by the county employees.

“When we assumed office, we were informed that immunisation was “risky” business and we quickly agreed as we were not in the know,” said Mr Ranguma.

WELL EQUIPPED

He insisted that county governments were now well equipped to handle and implement the immunisation programme.

He defended the move by all the counties to allocate 25 per cent of their total budget to health, saying it was an indication of the priority accorded to the health department.

His Kitui counterpart Dr Julius Malombe echoed his sentiments, saying more than 4,000 health facilities were under devolved units. He said termed the allocation as “huge” in line with the importance attached towards the improvement of the healthcare facilities within the counties.

Dr Malombe, however, noted the importance of increasing allocation of the preventive and promotive funds from the current three per cent.

 “In Kitui County we have allocated five per cent of the funds towards this venture geared towards embracing preventive measures in health services,” said the Kitui county boss.

He called for more cash to be allocated to the county government with most of the health services having being substantially devolved.

On the welfare of the doctors, Mr Ranguma said the county was committed to their wellbeing, citing promotion of some doctors who had stagnated in one position for more than 12 years.

“We upgraded them and pay them their dues,” he said.