Healthcare talk takes center stage at Meru budget allocation public participation meeting
By Harun Mugambi
The Meru County Assembly’s public participation forum on the budget estimates for the financial year 2024/2025 took center stage at Kamunde Hall, with healthcare services emerging as the top concern among attendees.
The forum, led by Jacob Mwirigi, Chairperson of the Budget Committee, aimed to gather public input on the county’s budget allocation, as mandated by Article 196 of the Constitution.
The air buzzed with anticipation as attendees-medics, community leaders, and concerned citizens demanded an urgent overhaul of the health services in Meru County.
In a bustling show of civic engagement, residents and medical professionals alike expressed their frustration with the current state of healthcare services in the county, citing issues such as inadequate lab reagents, lack of essential medicines, understaffing, and inefficient hospital infrastructure.
Mr Baiyenia Moses, a Secretary of the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers at the Meru Branch, criticized the reduction in funding for lab reagents from Ksh 8,371,167.96 to Ksh 8,000,000 in the proposed budget.
“Cutting the budget for lab reagents is a step backward. Without adequate lab reagents, our ability to diagnose and treat patients effectively is severely hampered.”Baiyenia said
Other speakers echoed similar concerns, including Elias Mutuma, Secretary General of the Kenya Union of Pharmaceuticals Technologists (KNUPT), who lamented the lack of medicines in hospitals.
“We are being issued with empty boxes of medicine. There is a lot of drama surrounding the issuance of medicine.” Mutuma said
Mr Nesbit Mugendi, the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN)- Meru County branch union Secretary, emphasized the need for hiring more healthcare workers.
“Our healthcare system is understaffed. All that money allocated for construction of hospitals should go to employing more healthcare workers.” Mugendi stated.
Zakiyah Juma (Rukia Asman), a concerned citizen, urged the county government to prioritize health by allocating funds to employ doctors and nurses rather than building new hospitals without essential resources.
The forum also saw criticism of the budget allocation for malaria funds and dewormers. Elias Murega, former MCA for Municipality ward, echoed sentiments made by medics that Meru has no malaria cases and allocating funds for a non-existent issue is a misstep.
Malaria has been allocated 400,000 and Dewormers 1.5 million in the budget estimates.
The county government has allocated Ksh 1.327 billion to health services, with public service management and administration receiving the biggest share of Ksh 5.5 billion.
Residents have until July 5th to submit their views through written memoranda to the County Assembly Clerk.
As the budget deliberations continue, it is clear that residents are demanding better healthcare services and more resources. The question remains: will their voices lead to tangible improvements in the county’s health sector? Only time will tell.
