Health CS Aden Duale Rallies National Referral Hospital CEOs to End Patient Neglect and Boost Service Delivery

 

In a high-level meeting aimed at streamlining operations and improving patient care in Kenya’s public health sector, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale hosted Chief Executive Officers from the country’s National Teaching and Referral Hospitals for a strategic engagement at Afya House.

The engagement focused on strengthening coordination, enforcing compliance standards, and addressing pressing challenges affecting service delivery in public hospitals.

CS Duale reaffirmed the Ministry of Health’s commitment to ensuring patient dignity, quality care, and efficiency across all public health facilities. He emphasized that improving the patient experience and restoring public trust in government-run hospitals remains a top priority.

“It is unacceptable that in some hospitals, patients are forced to sleep on the floor or share beds. This practice must end,” said Duale. “Every Kenyan deserves to be treated with dignity.”

To address this, the Cabinet Secretary issued a directive for strict enforcement of the Social Health Authority (SHA) bed capacity rule, requiring hospitals to align their reported bed numbers with those recorded by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC). The move is expected to reduce misreporting and ensure fair and efficient resource allocation.

Duale also called for the formalization of partnerships between hospitals and medical training institutions through structured Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to uphold academic standards and strengthen the quality of health workforce training.

“Training and service delivery must go hand in hand. We need structured, accountable partnerships that support both patient care and medical education,” he said.

The meeting was attended by top health officials, including:

• Dr. Ouma Oluga, Principal Secretary for Medical Services

• Dr. Patrick Amoth, Director-General for Health

• Dr. Waqo Erjesa, CEO of the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA)

• Dr. David Kariuki, CEO of the KMPDC

• Dr. Mercy Mwangangi, CEO of the Social Health Authority (SHA)

• Eng. Anthony Lenaiyara, CEO of the Digital Health Authority (DHA)

Also present were CEOs from major referral facilities including Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital (KUTRRH), and others.

CS Duale urged hospital CEOs to uphold ethical governance, prudent resource use, and transparent, people-centered leadership. He assured them of continued government support to ensure the delivery of quality, accessible, and responsive healthcare for all Kenyans.

The engagement comes amid ongoing reforms in Kenya’s healthcare system, particularly the rollout of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and restructuring of health sector governance under the Social Health Authority.