Homa Bay on course to ease pressure on referral hospitals

Homa Bay government has started decentralisation of health services to ease pressure on referral hospitals in the county.

The health department in partnership with Population Services Kenya is strengthening primary health facilities to tackle minor ailments.

This means patients with minor ailments such as the common cold, flu and other communicable diseases will be treated at the lower-level facilities.

Health Chief Officer Kevin Osuri and PS-Kenya Regional Programmes Coordinator Charles Orora said some patients with minor ailments will be treated at level 1, 2 and 3 facilities.

The department began to equip the facilities with pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals for operation.

Osuri said this will help residents regain trust in primary health facilities in the county.

“The strengthening of the primary health facilities will help us decongest our level 4 and 5 hospitals. Residents will also gain trust in the facilities and referral hospitals will be left to handle complicated health conditions,” he said.

Osuri spoke on the sidelines of the training of heads of county health officials in Ndhiwa yesterday.

He said more than 2,945 Community Health Promoters in Homa Bay have been trained on how to use the Electronic Community Health Information System to store data.

The digital system is used in the referral of patients. 

It prompts a lower facility to notify the management of the other facility where a referred patient should be attended to.

The county government pays CHPs a monthly stipend of Sh2,500 as a way of strengthening primary healthcare.

“Should the referral facility lack the capacity to attend to the patients, management at the lower facility will immediately be notified to seek services at another hospital,” Osuri said.

Orora said they have strengthened reproductive health services at lower-level facilities through the Delivering Sustainable and Equitable Increases programme.

He said the reforms are to reduce maternal, neonatal and child mortality in the county.

They are also focused on eliminating Triple Threats and regular uninterrupted provision of supplies in the health facilities.

“We are focusing on women at the grassroots and adolescents for them to have equitable access to and uptake of family planning,” Orora said.