The highly publicised Beyond Zero Mobile Clinic project is facing numerous problems that have cast doubts on its sustainability. The clinics are struggling with inadequate health personnel, allowances, drugs and vehicle insurance, according to a report by the Daily Nation.
The clinics need drivers, nurses, clinical officers, clerks and lab technicians who work in shifts – expenses that have not been budgeted for. “We have a minimum eight people going out with the mobile clinic and the main challenge is paying their allowances,” Laikipia Health Executive David Njoroge said.
Many counties are also struggling to fuel the clinics. All of the country’s 47 counties received a mobile clinic. There are wide disparities in funds allocated by counties to the clinics ranging from Ksh2 million to Ksh10 million a year. County coordinators of the programme feel the funds are inadequate and some are now asking that the national government to help to run the clinics.
But despite the myriad of problems the project, started by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, has ushered in a new dawn for Kenya’s far-flung villages where residents, especially pregnant women, had to walk long distances to health centres.
In Lamu, more than 4,000 patients have been attended to at the clinic, just three months after it started operating. It offers HIV and Aids tests, cervical cancer tests, maternity services, laboratory services and treats various illnesses.
But there are already fears about the sustainability of the project, as the clinics have already stalled in some regions. At Witu, villagers in Chalaluma, Katsaka Kairu, Maleli and Lumshi complained that the clinic had stopped coming.
Nurses running the clinic said they were unable to go to far flung areas because of lack of allowances.
In Taita-Taveta, more than 8,000 residents have benefited from the services since the clinic was donated in July 2014. The county was the first beneficiary of the programme due to the high rate of maternal deaths in the area. It was ranked 11th out of 14 regions with high rates of maternal deaths.
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