Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata has threatened to sue the county government for suspending medical camps.
The county issued a letter on May 21 indicating that the camps had been suspended until further notice because of Covid-19.
The letter by Health executive Joseph Mbai termed it concerning that the senator had planned several medical camps, yet continuing with such plans would be in contravention of the suspension order.
However, Kang’ata said he has used funds to organise the free medical camps and should the county government not withdraw the suspension in the next seven days, he will sue and demand compensation.
Kang’ata confirmed that he had planned two medical camps in July, one in Kamacharia, Mathioya and the other in Gaichanjiru, Kandara.
He accused the county government of imposing hefty conditions to discourage the organisation of the free camps, saying he had complied.
“They require me to send a list of all the drugs that are used in each of the camps and the names of doctors and nurses involved,” he said.
This is despite the fact that the medical camps complement the delivery of health services that is a function of the devolved unit, he said.
“A huge number of residents, especially the elderly, are unable to access healthcare because of abject poverty,” he said.
The senator said the camps help to diagnose the rising numbers of chronic illnesses that the majority of the elderly persons are suffering from unknowingly, while others are unable to manage them.
He said suspending the camps would punish such people.
“The reason so many people flock to the free camps is that they cannot afford to go to hospital and many health facilities lack drugs,” he said.
Kang’ata vowed to do everything possible to ensure the camps continue uninterrupted, saying he has been conducting them since he was elected a councillor in 2007 and has not been antagonising the county government in any way since.
“This is something that I am very passionate about and my only demand is they allow them to continue,” he said.
One camp, he pointed out, costs about Sh1 million to organise as it includes issuance of drugs, spectacles, free cataract removal surgeries and medics.
He said the camps enable him to collect data on the state of healthcare in the county and the kinds of illnesses that affect residents most.
The senator said he is ready to hand over the data to any individual or organisation that would further help boost health services in the county.
“The data can be used to implement free universal health coverage that would allow patients to access quality health care when they need it. That would only require more allocation of funds,” he said
He said the county should allocate about 15 per cent of its revenue to the health docket as it worryingly faces rising cases of chronic illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension.
In 2019, Health committee chairperson in the National Assembly Sabina Chege raised the alarm over increased cases of lifestyle diseases, which she said had led to increased cases of kidney failure, with more patients requiring costly dialysis every day.
Chege proposed that the government start proper diet sensitisation programmes that she said would cost less than offering treatment.
“The government is using a lot of money to equip health facilities but the number of patients keeps increasing. The best thing to do would be to go to the villages and talk to people about proper diet,” Chege said.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris