Nairobi — Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha has expressed concerns over the neglect recovered patients at mental health institutions urging families to pick their loved ones upon completion of medication.

Speaking on Tuesday when she visited Mathare Mental Hospital, Nackhumicha revealed that some Kenyans had been notified to pick their recovered kin but declined to do so.

"I want to ask Kenyans whose relatives are in this facility and have been treated and recuperated, to come pick them up. We will try and contact those we can, to come for their patients," the CS said.

"There are those who have recovered, and their families have been notified but they have refused to come pick them. That is not good."

She attributed the continued stay in hospital by patients who have recovered to stigmatization by families and communities.

Nakhumicha made the appeal even as she announced plans to hire additional personnel to support the national referral facility.

"It has come to my attention that managing queues has been a challenge due to a shortage of health workers," she pointed out.

The CS said the Public Service Commission planned recruitment promising to have positions advertised in coming days.

The planned recruitment of additional staff at the Mathare Mental Hospital is part of a wider strategy by the Ministry of Health to seal staffing gaps in public health facilities.

Nakhumicha announced the move a day after she launched a nationwide health facility census aimed at identifying gaps in the healthcare sector and enhancing service delivery.

She said the census-driven assessment will provide evidence for policy formulation, planning, and programming within the health sector.

The exercise expected to take two weeks will also cover county-run hospitals as well as facilities run by the private sector and faith-based organization.

"The exercise will serve as a baseline assessment for monitoring and evaluation of investments into the health sector," Nakhumicha said.