Health facility improvement high on the list

By PETER WARI
THE Southern Highlands Health Authority (PHA) wants to prioritise health facilities (district hospitals) and build their capacities with support from district development authorities, provincial government and partners, says chief executive Dr Joseph Birisi.
He said current health facilities did not meet National Health Service Standards (NHSS) 2011 requirements of each level of health facilities.
Birisi said the district hospitals were level four, however, they operated as a level three and two.
He said the level-three and level-two health facilities did not even meet the required standards in terms of infrastructure, medical equipment and staffing requirements.
“There is a need for immediate rehabilitations and redevelopment,” Birisi said.
“This is for the safety of health workers and our disadvantaged communities accessing the health facilities.
“Many health facilities in the province are rundown. There was no maintenance done by elected MPs and LLGs, even though these services are serving the members of their communities and their voters.”
Birisi said the PHA was looking forward to strengthening partnerships with stakeholders to improve service delivery and open health facilities that had been closed.
He said that over the past five years, the province had been placed 21 out of the 22 provinces in terms of performance indicators.