Bungoma County officials meet to discuss plans to improve healthcare access
Health advocates drawn from the Bungoma Reproductive Maternal and Neonatal, Child and Adolescent health network (RMNCAH), doctors across Bungoma county Stage Media Arts (SMA) and Members of the Bungoma County assembly in the health committee and members of the budget committee met to discuss future plans to better the health docket in Bungoma County.
Speaking to the media in Bungoma, Charles Nangulu, Vice Chairman budget committee and appropriation at Bungoma county assembly noted that the engagement was planned to discuss how the health department can be better for the residents to access quality healthcare across the country
“We have heard of a great engagement with health advocates who are always on the forefront in ensuring that locals have access to quality health care,” Nangulu noted.
The Ford Kenya MCA noted that in the recently passed budget the assembly did not factor in some vital issues affecting the health sector affirming that in the next budget all the things that have been raised by the health advocates will be considered and included in the good budget allocation to the ministry of health Bungoma
“In the recent program based budget that was passed by the Bungoma county assembly I have realized that some serious health issues were left out,from here I’m going to present the memorandum that you have given me the rest of the team so that we can see how we can improve it in near future,” the MCA noted.
He affirmed that assembly will also invest heavily in mentorship programs in schools as a way of reducing the ravaging teenage pregnancies adding that the mentorship programs in schools will offer an opportunity to learners to get guided by their teachers.
He also said that in the main budget the assembly will set aside funds that will facilitate the completion of all stalled projects in the wards.
“We have dispensaries that were started by the previous regime but we won’t sit back and watch as our people suffer, I want to assure that the assembly will set aside funds to facilitate the completion of the projects,” he said, adding that dispensaries are very crucial as they offer first service to patients.
The MCA also called on governor Ken Lusaka to fulfill his promise of doubling the CHV’s stipend to motivate them.
Phelgonah Odipo, an advocacy officer from Stage media arts (SMA) told the Nation that she let other health advocates and the primary healthcare (PHC) champions in the wards to analyze the Program based budget (PBB) and realized that some key issues were not put into consideration.
“The last PBB meeting birthed today’s meeting with members of the county assembly, we have discussed it and seen where there are gaps, the MCA’s have agreed to put them into considerations,” she said.
However, Odipo called on the Members of the County Assembly to allocate funds towards the completion of the blood bank that was launched by the Wangamati administration.
“The blood bank needs to be completed and equipped well so that our people cannot travel to far flung counties seeking blood services,” she noted.
The health advocate also called on the government to come up with a digital tool kit for the CHV’s to ease referrals to Subcounty and Bungoma referral hospitals.