Laikipia Vs Doctors: Growth in Numbers amid Unsustainable Demands

Divided opinion, war of words, and blame game has played out in public as Laikipia County grapples with the responsibility of providing quality healthcare to its people.

Governor Ndiritu Muriithi has been seen on the ground providing leadership which has not missed criticism from some quarters after he fired 61 doctors. Governor Muriithi has, however, provided his county with 41 doctors to salvage the situation as his team works on more permanent solutions.

A strike interrupts service providence and it is sad when it is used to manipulate authority to give in to demands that are not sustainable.

Even as a child, one ought to be taught that there are always three answers to any request or demand, YES, NO or WAIT. Laikipia doctors are some of the most highly paid not only in the county but in the country, are they important, yes, they are very important but that cannot be weighed by the number of zeros in their salaries but by the dedication they serve their people with.

Laikipia has hit major milestones in development, the health sector included, and this can only be accelerated if all quarters recognize and support fair expenditure of the county funds not demanding that the larger chunk goes into the pockets of a few at the expense of development.

Laikipia County, which is divided into three sub-counties, namely Laikipia East, West and North is one the fastest growing County in Kenya.

Laikipia has grown massively in the last three years, especially, in its health sector where the number of health facilities available has doubled in numbers to cater to the county’s growing population.

READ ALSO: Laikipia Government Fires Doctors to End Strike, Avails Medical Managers to Deliver Health Services

Breaking Laikipia’s Growth in the Healthcare Sector into Numbers

Laikipia has grown from 112 primary healthcare service centres in 2016 to 150 and 8 major hospitals in 2016 to 13 hospitals in 2018.

The eight major hospitals in 2016 had 273 beds which have since grown to 380 beds spread in the 13 hospitals according to the Laikipia County Statistical Abstract.

Laikipia County now has 864 registered medical personnel per cadre, a growth from 2016’s number of 844.

The number of NHIF registration among locals in Laikipia County has massively grown in the last two years from a previous 82,248 registered members to 133,951 members enrolled from the private sector.

Laikipia locals who are self-employed and enrolled in the NHIF program have also increased by a huge margin from a previous 83,156 to 88,820 members. This is a clear indication of growth in the county as more members are able to sponsor themselves into the Government Healthcare insurance.

The current situation in Laikipia’s healthcare sector could not have been dealt with in any other way from the look of the numbers in the county’s growth, it was not sustainable for the county to balloon its wage bill to keep 61 doctors.