Medical Services, Public Health and Sanitation

Headed by: Mrs. Leah Bwari Ogega

Introduction

The goal of Kenya’s Vision 2030 for the Health Sector is to “provide equitable and affordable health care at the highest affordable standards to her citizens”. Good health is a prerequisite for enhanced economic growth and poverty reduction and a precursor to realization of the Vision’s Social Goals. Further, the Constitution under the Bill of Rights, access to equitable healthcare is a right to every Kenyan.

Against this background, the Health Sector is re-positioning itself to fulfill the expectations of Kenyans through improved health infrastructure and service delivery systems.

Mandate

The mandate of the Kisii county health sector it is to support the attainment of the highest attainable medical care and sanitation services that will improve lives of the Kisii county population at all levels of health care delivery.

Vision

“An efficient and high quality health care system that is accessible, equitable and affordable for every Resident of Kisii County”

Mission

“To promote and participate in the provision of integrated and high quality promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative health care services to all Residents of Kisii County”

To fulfill the vision and mission, the Health Sector provides leadership through formulation of health policies and strategic direction, set standards, provide health services through public facilities and regulate all actors/services.

Health Sector Profile

Kisii County has a population of about 1,161,269 categorized with a population growth rate of about 21 (Nyanza Region). The population is served by the following Health Facilities: 32 community Health Units, 84 Dispensaries, 28 Health Centres and 14 Hospitals. On staffing, the county has 41 Doctors and 504 Nurses among other Health Workers.

Common causes of Morbidity include Malaria, Diarrhea, Skin Diseases and Respiratory. Many of these conditions also common contribute to high of mortality.

The County is experiencing high new infection rate of HIV/AIDS with Antenatal surveillance of 8.7%.  The proportion of children fully immunized against communicable diseases is estimated at 72%.

This is below the national average of 77% (2009). Nationally, Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has deteriorated from 414 in 2003 to 488 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2008-09; only43percent of children are delivered in a health facility (KDHS 2008-2009). Births attended by skilled health personnel in Kisii County are 51% against National average of 43% in 2010/11.

Strategic Goals & Objectives

The following strategic objectives aim towards the realization of the Health Sector:

  • Increase equitable access to health services;
  • Improve the financing of the Health Sector.
  • Improve the quality and responsiveness of services in the Sector;
  • Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery;
  • Conduct research aimed at providing solutions for the reduction of disease burden inKenya.
  • Enhance the regulatory capacity of the Sector;
  • Foster partnerships in improving health and delivering services.

Core Functions

  • Human resource recruitment, development and management
  • Infrastructure development and maintenance
  • Procurement of Medical supplies and equipment
  • Leadership and governance
  • Resource mobilization
  • Planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of service delivery
  • Financial management
  • Provision and promotion of preventive, curative and rehabilitative health services.
  • Provide overall sanitation services and prevention of sanitary nuisances.
  • Provision of maternal and child health services.
  • Quarantine administration for disease outbreak.
  • Manage clinics, dispensaries, health centres and hospitals.
  • Provide health education.
  • Health inspection and other health services including food safety.

 Policy Objectives

 The Kisii county Health Sector Vision and Goal aims to realize the following six policy objectives:

  1. Eliminate communicable conditions. This is to be achieved through reducing the burden of communicable diseases until they are no longer of major public health concern. 
  2. Halt and reverse the rising burden of non-communicable conditions. This is to be achieved by ensuring clear strategies for implementation of interventions to address all the identified non communicable conditions in the country.
  3. Reduce the burden of violence and injuries. This is to be achieved by putting in place specific strategies, in collaboration with stakeholders in other sectors, which address the underlying causes of injuries and violence.
  4. Provide essential health care. These will include preventive, promotive and curative services that are affordable, equitable, accessible, and responsive to client needs.
  5. Minimize exposure to health risk factors. This aims at strengthening health promoting interventions which address risk factors to health, and facilitating use of products and services that lead to healthy behaviour in the population.
  6. Strengthen collaboration with other sectors. This aims to adopt a ‘Health in all Policies’ approach, which ensures the Health Sector interacts with and influences design, implementation and monitoring processes in all health-related sector actions.

Sector Priorities

The following are our priorities

  1. Establishment of School of Medicine at Kisii University
  2. Establish training Departments of Anesthetists, Radiographers and Orthopaedic technicians at KMTC-Kisii
  3. Develop Kisii Level 5 into a Regional Referral Hospital and Research Centre
  4. Recruit sufficient Human Resource for Health
  5. Develop sufficient Health Infrastructure at all levels of care
  6. Develop a Medical Supply Chain Management System
  7. Develop systems to mitigate against communicable and Non-communicable Disease conditions.
  8. Develop an efficient and Responsive patient referral System.