BY BRIAN OTIENO
Patients seeking dialysis services at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital are getting services without a hitch, Health CS Deborah Barasa said yesterday.
“We are happy to see that there is great progress. The greatest stride has been in the dialysis where we have noted that all patients have been registered so far. Patients have not missed dialysis,” the CS said.
She was in Mombasa for the evaluation of health facilities on the implementation of the Social Health Authority. Barasa said the collaboration of the national and county governments, SHA and other stakeholders has ensured patients have a seamless transition.
She said, however, in the cancer segment, registration is lagging behind but was quick to add no patient will be turned away.
“We are encouraging registration. No patient should be left behind. We should not have patients going home without treatment,” the CS said.
CGTRH chief executive officer Iqbal Khandwala said the facility will continue receiving cancer and dialysis patients, whether registered or not.
“We are not turning away any patient who comes to us. In Mombasa county, everything is fine. All the 30 chemotherapy patients we serve daily get the services,” he said.
Khandwala said once SHA is completely rolled out, it will become much easier for patients. Ibrahim Alio, the SHA director of corporate services, said a lot of effort has been put to ensure all the people, including those at the grassroots, get sensitised about SHA and are registered.
“We are using community health promoters and the National Government Administration Officers to sensitise people on SHA,” he said.
Alio said the most important thing is to ensure the people at the grassroots get the correct information to understand the benefits of SHA.
He said the primary healthcare network is in such a way that one can access any health services for level 2 and level 3 without paying anything once one is registered.
“Once one is registered, they can access health services from any facility close to them,” Alio said.
He said all primary health facilities have been mapped out and that is why one can access services anywhere. “If you are registered in Mombasa and you travel to Kisumu and fall sick there, you can get services at any facility in Kisumu,” Alio said.
This is different from the NHIF where one had to choose their facility for treatment whenever they fall sick.