Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has exposed massive financial flaws and inadequacies compromising the quality of services in top county hospitals.
In her damning audit reports, Gathungu exposes how the facilities have failed to account for millions of shillings received from counties and generated from the services they provide.
The hospitals are dogged by a perennial shortage of medicine.
Most hospitals have a shortage of staff or employees ill-equipped to provide quality services.
At Nyathuna Level 4 Hospital in Kiambu county, there is staff shortage in all the departments although it is a Level 4 Hospital that treats patients round the clock.
There is no renal unit, maternity theatre and can admit only nine patients.
“There was no radiology equipment, x-ray and ultra-sound machines in the hospital. There were no general in-patient wards,” the report states.
In addition, the facility has not paid its skilled and casual workers for months.
“In the circumstances, the hospital was not in a position to fully offer all medical services to the public to achieve universal health care as stipulated by Article 43 (1) of the constitution,” the report states.
The facility, the report shows, could also be losing millions of shillings in revenues as it uses two systems with only one cashier.
The cashier uses one computer which often breaks down.
At Karatina County Hospital in Nyeri, the reports show that the facility does not offer some of the services it’s accredited to because of acute shortage of staff and equipment.
In what indicts the management, the report shows that facility used a casual worker to manage its health management system.
“The casual employee is bestowed with the responsibility of managing both hardware and software in the hospital,” Gathungu states in the report.
At Lari Level 4 Hospital in Kiambu, the facility has been faulted for stocking expired drugs beyond the recommended time limit.
“Review of records and physical verification revealed that the hospital held in store expired pharmaceutical products in excess of the period or time limits allowed,” the report reads in part.
At the Coast, Kwale County Referral Hospital, the facility has been faulted for poorly managing medical supplies.
It shows that between July 2021 and June 2022, the facility received supplies from Kemsa and MEDs amounting to Sh3.98 million.
However, the facility received the supplies without the involvement of a pharmacist or appointed specialist to confirm whether the supplies met the quality specifications.
Worse, the supplies were received by individuals who were not staff of the hospital.
“These supplies could not be traced in the department of health stores to verify whether they were used at the facility,” the report reads.
The report shows that the facility is frequently running out of essential supplies, thus compromising delivery of health services.
“Review of the stock records revealed that the hospital experienced stock outs of essential medical supplies of between eight to 117 days during the year, while the management did not have a minimum recorder levels policy on replenishing of medical supplies,” the report states.
In Kericho, Forest Subcounty Level 4 Hospital, the facility is starved of finances due to inordinate delays to receive claims reimbursement from the National Hospital Insurance Fund.
Further, the county government is delaying the release of funds to the facility, further affecting the delivery of services.
“The management did not explain the delayed funding or failure to release entire Sh13.39 million,” the report reads.