Health

Makueni County, in partnership with Jhpiego and the Anita Mbinya Foundation, is conducting a rigorous three-day training program designed to cultivate gender-sensitive leadership within the county’s health management teams.

The workshop’s core aim is to arm participants with the requisite knowledge and strategies to develop healthcare systems that are both inclusive and equitable. By focusing on gender-sensitive leadership, the initiative seeks to effectively tackle and diminish gender disparities in the county’s healthcare sector.

Dr. Stephen Mwatha, Ag.Director in charge of Health Services, emphasized that the modules covered in the training has topics such as resource allocation, project planning and execution, leadership assessment and development, financial management, and performance measurement and evaluation.

Addressing trainees on the second day, Dr. Paul Musila, the County Executive Committee Member for Health, encouraged participants to advocate for gender equality within their professional environments. He stressed that exemplary leadership is vital in providing women with the opportunities to network, learn, and advance in their careers.

On Tuesday, the Department of Health Services held a stakeholder sensitization forum towards development of a county nutrition policy.

The initiative, spearheaded by Nutrition International, brought together the departments of agriculture,Office of the County Attorney,education-ECDE,Water, gender,Finance,State department of social protection, State department of Education,National Drought Management Authority among others.

The policy intends to foster multi-sectoral collaboration, streamline coordination, and establish a framework for resource mobilization as well as a framework for monitoring and evaluation .

During the forum, Dr. Paul Musila, County Executive Committee Member for Health Services, highlighted the importance of mobilizing domestic resources and documenting Makueni’s good health and nutrition practices .

Makueni County, in partnership with the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), has embarked on a significant initiative to train 16 biomedical engineers in the latest healthcare technologies.

This collaboration aims to enhance the engineers’ skills in developing innovative solutions for healthcare and public health initiatives.

As part of the training, the engineers were introduced to Survey CTO Collect V2.81, a mobile data collection platform tailored for researchers and professionals working in offline environments.

This tool is expected to improve the efficiency and accuracy of data collection in various healthcare settings.

These trained biomedical engineers will be deployed to conduct comprehensive facility audits across different departments within county hospitals.

Their primary role will involve supervising over 57 healthcare facilities, with a focus on auditing equipment in laboratories, radiology units, central sterile services departments (CSSD), operating theaters, and computed tomography (CT) facilities.

Following the audits, the engineers will electronically submit detailed reports to the Department of Health Services in the County, ensuring that the data collected is promptly and accurately processed for further action.

In a significant stride towards enhancing maternal healthcare, the Makueni County Department of Health Services has forged a strategic partnership with the Center for Public Health and Development (CPHD) to bolster referral systems. The initiative aims to revolutionize access to cutting-edge technologies, particularly AI Point-of-Care Ultrasound (AI POCUS).

The collaboration, which targets improving access, utilization, and the quality of antenatal care services for expectant mothers, marks Makueni as one of Kenya’s 18 representative counties for this pioneering effort.

Dr. Paul Musila, the County Executive Committee Member for Health Services, underscored the initiative’s importance, highlighting that selected health facilities will soon integrate AI POCUS capabilities. This technological advancement is poised to strengthen the bond between pregnant women and healthcare providers, while also engaging government regulators and financing bodies in the process.

The partnership with CPHD is poised to establish a supportive environment conducive to policy and regulatory reforms, facilitating the widespread adoption of AI-enabled point-of-care ultrasound technology across Makueni County.

Makueni County has unveiled a digital health management information system which replaces the outdated manual and inefficient processes.

Dubbed #AfyaMakueni, the system will interconnect all healthcare facilities in the county, ensuring a seamless flow of information to enhance patient care, streamline operations, and boost overall efficiency.

Once fully implemented, the centralized system will eliminate the need for patients to register multiple times across different facilities. For instance, a patient registered in Mtito Andei will not need to register again at Makueni County Referral Hospital (MCRH) or any other facility.

The system will provide comprehensive data of patient histories, including previous treatments, medications, and allergies, aiding in better diagnosis and treatment plans.

Additionally, the system will facilitate inter-facility borrowing of healthcare commodities, further enhancing resource utilization and service delivery across the county.

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr who launched the system at the Makueni Referral Hospital described #AfyaMakueni as a ground-breaking innovation aimed at revolutionizing healthcare management and delivery in the county. He underscored the system’s usefulness in enhancing accountability in the use of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical services provided by county facilities.

Makueni Referral Hospital’s laboratory has proudly attained ISO 15189 compliance, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to excellence. The journey towards aligning the laboratory with the highest international standards began in 2015.

CEO Ms. Martha Munyao emphasized that this compliance ensures the quality and reliability of test results, giving patients confidence in the accuracy and dependability of their diagnoses. Additionally, it will enhance patient safety, boost efficiency, and foster staff development.

Ms. Munyao received the certification on behalf of the county at a celebration in Nanyuki, where other qualifying institutions were also honored.