Kenya: We Will Review KEMSA as Well as Human Resource Status, PS Nominee Peter Tum Says

14 November 2022
Capital FM (Nairobi)
By Irene Mwangi

Nairobi — The Principal Secretary nominee for Medical Services Peter Tum has promised a rigorous restructuring of reforms in the health sector especially in the public hospitals.

During his vetting before the National Assembly committee chaired by Endebess MP Robert Pukose he noted that once approved he will great consideration of boost human resource in hospitals to avert the crisis in public hospitals.

"The problem is our system of provision of health services in public health facilities. The issue that is wanting is that we have not taken into consideration the personnel of health services as provided for in health standards," said Tum.

Also, on his radar once approved will be reforming of the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority to meet the standards and respond to the medical purchases in tandem with the needs of the 47 devolved units.

"Standards have not been upheld and therefore there is a need for agenda reform requirement. Its high time we reform KEMSA to respond to commodity disruptions purchases so that we put it in a manner that is required," assured the Principal Secretary for Medical Services.

Tum however warned that access to health care in public hospitals for the common mwananchi will be untenable if the financing of the sector through the National Hospital Insurance Fund will not be upheld.

"We are looking into financing through the NHIF and as Kenya Kwanza Alliance we will leverage on that to enable our people get services in hospitals," the nominee said.

This following the narrative raised by MPs that poor Kenyans who can afford services in private hospitals are left to suffer due to negligence in public hospitals.

Death cases which have attracted probes have been blamed on caregivers who are grossly negligent, which is an indictment of bad state of our public hospitals.

Tum served as PS in the Ministry of Health before being appointed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta to his current position as the PS State Department for Labour in the ministry of Labour and Social Protection on March 1, 2019.

Tum previously served as the Kenya Medical Training College CEO and holds a Post- Graduate Diploma in Medical Electronics from the University of London.

Read the original article on Capital FM.

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