Governor Jama calls for more public/private partnership to improve healthcare services
Garissa Governor Nathif Jama on Sunday said that both the public and private health facilities need to compliment each other in order to improve healthcare services in the county.
Speaking at Bula Takwa, in the outskirts of Garissa town when he officially opened Emirates hospital-a state of the Art private facility, Governor Jama said that public and private facilities should be seen as competing with each other but rather supporting each other.
The facility that offers 24 hours services that include consultation, accident and emergency, in/out patient, pharmacy, laboratory, dental service as well as optical services.
It also offers ultra sound, Extray, theater dialysis, MCH clinic, Maternity, pediatrics, Antenatal, postnatal, physiotherapy and specialist clinics.
“As you can see this is big facility that has everything that is required in as far as treatment or attending to the patients needs is concerned. the most important thing is ensuring that our people get the best services. and from what I have seen here that is guaranteed,” he said.
Jama said that the fact there was the Garissa county referral hospital and other public health facilities in the country does not mean that those willing to invest in the health sector by opening their facilities cannot do so.
“one might wonder why I am here opening a private facility when we have our general hospital and other facilities. the answer is we need to have many hospitals providing services fro our people both public and private,” he said.
He added: “We need this private hospitals so that they can compliment other activities at the county level.as you very well know mother child mortality rates are still very in our county and we need to work extra hard to further the figures downwards,”.
According to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2014, the maternal mortality rate per 100,000 births in the county was 646/100,000 against a national estimate of 362/100,000.
The infant mortality rate per 1,000 births was 37/1000 against the national estimate of 39/1000.
Neonatal mortality Rate 24/1000 per 1,000 births against national estimates of 22/1000 while child mortality rate stands at 8/1000 against the national estimates of 14/1000.
The county’s under 5 mortality rate is 52/1000 against 44/1000 nationally.
“The whole idea is we expand and extend care services to our people. that is the bottom line. and when our people get the best services from across the county be it from the public or private them we will have achieved our goal,” he said.
The governor who campaigned on a platform of improving healthcare in the county that had seen the standards go to an all time low further said that he was in touch with NHIF officials to see to it that more residents are enrolled into the program.
“The Constitution of Kenya spells out the right of every Kenyan to quality health care services without sinking deeper into poverty due to ill health and lack of finances to pay for health services.and NHIF is seeking to exactly do that.so must get all our people register,”he said.