Health crisis sign of misplaced priorities
Expectant mothers relax with their caretakers at a hospital. The government increased the allocation for free maternity care from Sh3.4 billion to Sh4 billion in an attempt to consolidate the gains made since the programme was started. PHOTO | FILE |
What you need to know:
- There is no need to elaborate on the matter, as a crisis looms even if a few counties have shown improved services since the sector was devolved. Yet devolution alone cannot be blamed for the appalling health services.
- Education, infrastructure and security accounts for 50 per cent of the 2014-15 budget of Sh1.8 trillion. Of course, the political class hardly worry about budgetary allocations for the poor, since they go private, fly abroad and the taxpayers foot the bill for them, their spouses and kids.
We face a major crisis in the health sector judging by events of the past week, with striking workers, shortage of supplies and patients dying as they await services in Mombasa.
Away from the cameras, the situation is even grimmer as I can testify from the health unit that I am personally involved in.
For two years there have been no KEMSA supplies; Aids testing kits were unavailable nationally for almost six months and the recently provided new sets are not supplied in sufficient quantities.
Malaria still accounts for 54 per cent of all deaths in Kenya, yet its treatment is mostly unavailable unless you are able to pay for it. Mosquito nets are only provided for the under-1s while local statistics reveal that under-5s account for 30 per cent of all malaria cases.
The much lauded Free Maternity Programme has so far not included reimbursement to most faith-based units who also deliver healthy Kenyans in the poorest of areas.
NOT TO BLAME
There is no need to elaborate on the matter, as a crisis looms even if a few counties have shown improved services since the sector was devolved. Yet devolution alone cannot be blamed for the appalling health services.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health received Sh47 billion this year for funding referral hospitals, training, maternity programme and policy concerns.
Roughly a similar amount will eventually be distributed among the 47 counties. However, the critical figure in this analysis is that Health still only receives 4.5 per cent of the Kenyan budget despite the Abuja Agreement of 2000 and the World Health Organisation (WHO) requiring a minimum of 15 per cent. Put another way, is it any wonder that WHO has ranked Kenya as making ‘insufficient progress’ with regards to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) due for review next year, 2015.
MEDICAL BILLS
Education, infrastructure and security accounts for 50 per cent of the 2014-15 budget of Sh1.8 trillion. Of course, the political class hardly worry about budgetary allocations for the poor, since they go private, fly abroad and the taxpayers foot the bill for them, their spouses and kids.
The rest quarrel with their insurance companies and organise harambees to pay medical and funeral bills while the majority die of ill health long before their time.
But while the Executive must share responsibility for the health crisis, the county governments must not be allowed to escape blame by conjuring up a conspiracy theory that suggests that Jubilee wants to kill devolution by neglecting the health sector. Disbursement of the Sh226 billion to the counties may be delayed by Parliament’s laxity, but the vast majority of county budgets had only token public participation in their preparation, and little or no consultation with medical professionals at the county level.
Health is not valued until sickness comes and it does come knocking on everyone’s door sooner or later. However, a government that gloats on glitter and mega projects to the neglect of its poor citizens will indeed a lead to a very sick society.
