Money presidency spent on travel, hospitality could buy 212 mobile clinics

GRAPHIC: LISA WAMUGUNDA

What you need to know:

  • If the presidency had spent half the amount it allocated to foreign and domestic travel, and hospitality, it would have saved enough to buy 106 mobile clinics at Sh10 million each
  • If the National Assembly and the Senate had cut the travel budget for MPs and senators in the last financial year by half, they would have saved enough money to buy eight radiotherapy machines
  • Every year, about 39,000 new cases of cancer and more than 27,000 deaths from the disease are reported in the country,

If the National Assembly and the Senate had cut the travel budget for MPs and senators in the last financial year by half, they would have saved enough money to buy eight radiotherapy machines, improving the country’s ability to treat cancer.

According to the Controller of Budget’s report, in the financial year 2014/2015, the two legislative Houses spent Sh4.14 billion on domestic and foreign travel. This translates to roughly Sh9.95 million per member on foreign and domestic travel.

An opportunity cost analysis by Nation Newsplex and the Institute of Economic Affairs reveals that the total amount is enough to buy 16 radiotherapy machines at Sh260 million each, based on prices given by the Ministry of Health. Half the budget, Sh2.07 billion, could buy eight machines.


RADIOTHERAPY MACHINE
Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) is the only public hospital with radiotherapy equipment in the country. It has only one radiotherapy machine in operation after another broke down and was written off in June this year.

There are plans to install a second machine at the institution.

Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret has commissioned a cancer centre that will have one radiotherapy machine.

Every year, about 39,000 new cases of cancer and more than 27,000 deaths from the disease are reported in the country, according to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.

Between 2010 and 2014, the rate of people dying from cancer increased from 31 to 33 in every 100,000.

About half of all cancer patients require radiotherapy as part of their treatment.

The remaining radiotherapy machine at KNH handles 75 patients daily. Going by this rate, eight machines would increase the number of patients that could be treated at public hospitals from 75 to 600 every day.

The total expenditure by the presidency for foreign and domestic travel, and hospitality for the financial year stands at Sh2.1 billion. The amount is enough to buy 212 mobile clinics at Sh10 million each.

DEATH RATE

Although Kenya made progress in reducing child and maternal deaths, the country missed its Millennium Development Goals targets.

The death rate for children under five fell from 98 per 1,000 live births in 1993 to 52 per 1,000 live births in 2014, but the MDG target was to reduce by two-thirds the under-five deaths between 1990 and 2015.

Efforts to reduce maternal deaths were even less successful.

Between 1990 and 2010, the maternal death rate fell by 10 per cent, from 400 deaths per 100,000 births to 360 deaths per 100,000 births.

The MDG target was to reduce it by three quarters between 1990 and 2015.

BEYOND ZERO

The World Health Organisation recommends at least four antenatal care visits during pregnancy. This has proven to reduce the risk of complications, infections and death of both the mother and the child through proper medical attention and good hygiene.

However, according to the 2015 Economic Survey, more than two-thirds of live births in the past five years were not attended to by skilled individuals or delivered at a health facility in six counties (Tana River, Wajir, Marsabit, Turkana, West Pokot and Samburu), increasing vulnerability to maternal death and child mortality in these areas.

Increasing access to health facilities would accelerate progress in reducing deaths among children and their mothers, and improving their health.

If the presidency had spent half the amount it allocated to foreign and domestic travel, and hospitality, it would have saved enough to buy 106 mobile clinics at Sh10 million each.

Each county would have been provided with at least two mobile clinics.

Currently, there are 32 mobile clinics. These clinics provide integrated HIV, maternal and child health outreach services in the country.

For the past two years, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has spearhead the Beyond Zero campaign that includes the distribution of mobile clinics to counties to improve access to health care for mothers and children.