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Ministry Reneges On Earlier Promise
- Details
- Published on Friday, 20 July 2007 07:14
This is in line with a government directive meant to curb the killer disease in the malaria belt.
But there was confusion in other districts hit by highland malaria which had initially been included in the plan but have now been excluded.
In Nyanza, which has also been ravaged by malaria, the government reneged on its earlier directive that treatment be free.
According to a new Health Ministry directive, the Director Medical Services said free treatment would only be given in the highland districts of Kericho, Nyamira, Kisii and Gucha.
Early this month, the director, Dr Richard Muga, toured Kericho and announced that the government had waived fees and laboratory test charges for malaria patients.
But yesterday, Nyanza Health boss Ambrose Misore said only patients in Gucha, Kisii and Nyamira would be given free services in accordance with the new directive.
He said: "As a clarification, I would like to state that free medication will only be offered free of charge in the epidemic zones."
Dr Misore said it would be "too expensive" to give free medication to people in other districts like Kisumu "because malaria was a problem all year round".
Medical authorities in Nyanza have been confused by the conflicting directives.
At the Nyanza Provincial and Kisumu District hospitals, patients have clashed with the authorities when asked to pay for malaria medicine.
Dr Misore blamed the Health Ministry for the confusion, saying the directive was not sent to medical authorities in the districts.
Patients in Kisii, Gucha and Nyamira are being treated at no cost to them after each district received Sh200,000 to buy drugs and kits.
The Kisii District Hospital, which has been the region's referral point since the onset of the malaria epidemic, received an extra Sh25,000 last Friday.
The disease has killed more than 300 people in Gucha and Kisii.
Gucha Medical Officer of Health Dorothy Mutie said the number of those seeking treatment remained high.
She could not give the number of deaths as she was still waiting for the weekend update.
At the Kisii General Hospital, long queues forced some patients to seek services from nearby health centres that also offered free treatment.
Trans Mara Health boss Robert Wekesa said 13,000 malaria patients were treated last month.
