Eight hundred nurses are to be employed to fill vacancies in State hospitals.

The Health ministry and the Treasury are discussing when the employment will begin. Health permanent secretary Wellington Godo said the country had a shortfall of 2,000 nurses and 200 clinical officers, which was frustrating the delivery of health services. He pledged that the vacancies would be filled.

He spoke at Gede Dispensary in Malindi during the launch of a Sh13 million five-year programme to eradicate elephantiasis in Malindi, Kwale and Kilifi.

The disease has a prevalence rate of 40 per cent in Malindi, the highest in Coast province.

The PS said malaria and TB patients had been exempted from paying hospital fees, in a programme aimed at eradicating the diseases.

The campaign against Aids in the district had received a boost of Sh57 million from donors. 

Mr Godo said the Government had reorganised the supply of drugs to State hospitals to control wastage and improve efficiency. 

He inspected female wards being constructed by the Danish International Development Agency (Danida) at the Malindi District Hospital at a cost of Sh22 million. 

In a speech read by the PS, Health minister Charity Ngilu, said the Government had launched the treatment for elephantiasis since research had confirmed that more than 1 million people at the Coast were infected.

The Government was determined to eradicate the disease and had mobilised a team of health officers to visit homes on the Sabaki River where many cases had been reported.

The district health officer, Dr Anisa Omar, said Malindi hospital had benefited from donors and well-wishers to boost its infrastructure and that Danida and an Italian non-governmental organisation, CISP, had contributed more than 70 per cent of the aid followed by a British organisation, the Paper Chase.

Comments\Views about this article