Mombasa healthcare landscape to change as taskforce submits report

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Mombasa County Governor Abdullswamad Sheriff Nassir and Deputy Governor Francis Thoya along with members of the health care systems task force take a photo with the report. The taskforce submitted the report on Thursday at the Governor's office./COURTESY

The landscape of Mombasa County’s healthcare system is expected to change to ensure citizens in remote areas of the county are catered for.

This is after the task force on health care launched by Mombasa Governor Abdullswamad Sheriff Nassir in September last year submitted their report that gave several recommendations to improve the county’s healthcare system.

Also read: Governor Nassir sets up a task force on health care systems in Mombasa

Among other recommendations, the 15-member task force, chaired by former Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Dr. Chibanzi Mwachonda, recommended that the county strengthen the community healthcare system to ensure that citizens seek health care at the community level before going to higher level facilities.

“Out of that, we have what we call a referral bypass policy. So it is going to be put in place that you cannot move to the higher level until you seek help from these facilities,” said Dr.Mwachonda.

From the report, several hospitals will be repurposed into specialty units.

Health Task Force chair Dr. Chibanzi Mwachonda goes through the healthcare systems report./COURTESY

“We’ve recommended repurposing Tudor Hospital into a child and maternity hospital. Likoni hospital into a surgical specialty hospital, Mvita hospital to be an eye, EMT specialty hospital and Coast General Utange outfield hospital to become the County infectious disease and research center,” said Dr. Mwachonda.

Meanwhile, Governor Abdullswamad Sheriff Nassir has said that he has put in place appropriate measures to ensure all loopholes used to siphon money in the health sector are closed.

Mombasa Governor Abdullswamad Sheriff Nassir./COURTESY

Nassir also applauded the recommendations from the panel saying it is a good step to revive the health sector in Mombasa County.

“I shall study the report and move to submit it to the County Assembly of Mombasa for rectification so that my Administration can implement the same,” said Governor Nassir.

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