NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 12 – Concerns over patient safety have taken centre stage after Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua raised alarm over overcrowding in public health facilities across the county.
The Senator warned that congestion and bed-sharing practices pose a serious threat to infection control, especially in the face of highly communicable diseases.
“Despite access to quality healthcare being a constitutional right, public health facilities across Kitui County continue to face severe congestion, leading to overcrowded wards and cases of bed sharing among patients due to inadequate infrastructure, limited bed capacity and strained health services,” Wambua said.
He has called on the Senate Standing Committee on Health to provide details on measures being taken to strengthen infection prevention and control systems in the county’s health facilities.
Wambua stressed that without urgent intervention, the risk of disease outbreaks could increase significantly due to compromised hygiene and patient management systems.
The Committee chaired by Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago is also required to give details on the amount of resources allocated towards upgrading public health facilities within Kitui County, including the status and timelines for implementation of projects aimed at improving patient care do reducing congestion within the facilities
