Wednesday April 12, 2017
Mandera Governor Ali Roba after addressing residents of Mandera county at Mandera stadium on 9th April 2017.Photo Lewis Nyaundi
The Mandera government has allocated more than Sh800 million in 2017-18 to improve medical services, with the emphasis on reducing the maternal and infant mortality rates.
Speaking to the Star, Governor Ali Roba said, “Devolution has greatly changed the situation of Mandera county. Previously there was a big challenge with health services delivery and many of the children died at a tender age.”
Roba said the county will upgrade medical facilities to offer high quality maternal and child health services.
“The county is focussing on reducing the 10 most common causes of morbidity and mortality,” he said.
The five most common medical conditions are upper respiratory tract infections, malaria, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and skin disease, the governor said.
Before 2013, more than 80 per cent of health facilities in the county did not have enough medical workers, Roba said.
A 2008 health assessment in Mandera showed a more than 96 per cent gap in staffing, with only five doctors available out of the required 35, and only 75 out of the required 670 nurses.
Roba said the county is working to upgrade hospital infrastructure and equipment to ensure better services.
“The county has so far upgraded the six Level IV facilities, nine Level III facilities, 24 Level II facilities, six nursing homes and 60 private clinics,” he said.
Mandera has reduced the doctor-population ratio by hiring more than 30 new doctors, Roba said.
The county is working with the national government to improve vaccine programmes, reduce malnutrition and improve other health functions that had not been devolved, he said.
But the county’s poor roads make access to health difficult as ambulances cannot operate efficiently in emergencies, the governor said.
The ambulances incur high maintenance costs due to the bad terrain, Roba added.