Mr President save the healthcare system

Dear Mr President.

I am a Kenyan deeply concerned about the current state of the healthcare system. In general, I applaud your Agenda 4 dream towards achieving Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC). However, moving forward, your administration's success or failure is solely dependent on the decisions you make today. The pilot project in the four counties is already a mess. Counties piloting UHC have experience strikes and patients have had to dig into their pockets despite the promise of affordable services.

Mr President, the actualisation of the UHC is only possible if we have an efficient, accountable and transparent tax-funded healthcare system. Countries such as Rwanda, Thailand and Japan have attained UHC by leveraging the power of national social health insurance programmes to reach vast populations with equitable, quality healthcare. I believe Kenya should be no different. While the arrest of corrupt leaders at the helm of the NHIF scandal is laudable as well as the setting up of a Health Benefits Package advisory panel, we are yet to see any reforms. The report by the board was shelved after it came up with amazing proposals.

CORRUPTION

On the issue of the Managed Equipment Services (MES), it seems that your advisers steered you wrong on this. Taxpayers' money was sunk into this project, yet most of the equipment is under lock and key due to lack of personnel and infrastructure to run them. An IT project to Seven Seas Technologies worth Sh4.9 billion was illegally awarded and since cancelled. Despite the outcome, Seven Seas will still be paid 80 per cent of the total contract value as compensation.

Then we imported Cuban doctors who do not match the qualification of our Kenyan doctors. Those who you charged to oversee this once again failed. They went to Cuba, and we got duped by being given *some* doctors of questionable qualifications, yet it was reported that they are specialists.

We are now being treated to the circus that is the KNH Private Hospital project. Let me be honest with you; that idea is ill-advised. The crafters of the project have selfish interests. Shelve that idea. Let's reform KNH and give it maximum support before engaging in private business. Mr President, the most lucrative business currently is the employment of healthcare workers in counties. As the statement goes' ukona ngapi, upate kazi? (how much do you have, you get a job). Universities and more so schools of medicine are collapsing. It pains me when I hear Estama Limited exclusively won the deal to supply 100 containers. Each container was valued at Sh10 Million. Estama Investments spent Sh1.4 million to buy and import each of the container clinics that were then sold to the government at Sh10 million. Sh1Billion was used, more for port clearance, and now they are grounded at Mathari National Referral Hospital. Funds for the training of specialist doctors are nowhere to be found. It’s always budgeted for, but when it comes to payment, it is still a struggle.

APPEAL

Mr President, I beseech you, your people at the helm of healthcare are not telling you the truth. Mr President, I know that the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) team proposed the creation of a Health Service Commission. This I commend you and your brother Rt Hon Raila Odinga for the wisdom and hope that you may see it to fruition. HSC=BBI and BBI=HSC. Kindly seek to know the truth and act. You are the President of this Great Republic of Kenya.

Yours sincerely,

Thuranira Kaugiria.

Dr Thuranira is a budding pathologist and public health advocate.