This archive report was first published on 27 July 2019.
Kenya is grappling with a severe shortage of public health officers and technicians, leaving the country's population vulnerable to health risks.
According to Simon Kimani, Chairman of the Public Health Officers and Technical Council, the country has only 4,000 registered public health officers to cater to a population of approximately 45 million citizens.
Speaking at Mount Kenya University, Mr. Kimani emphasized that this ratio poses significant challenges in monitoring public health delivery services, with one officer responsible for the health and safety of 11,250 citizens.
Published on July 27, 2019, Mr. Kimani's statement highlighted the urgent need for additional public health officers and technicians to address emerging environmental health challenges across the country.
Records at the council indicate that an additional 4,000 public health officers and technicians are required to effectively address the current disease burden arising from preventable causes.
Mr. Kimani noted that the council has a mandate to offer technical and professional support towards full programme accreditation of all public and environmental health programmes in institutions of higher learning in Kenya.
The accreditation of Mount Kenya University's B.Sc. Environmental Health programme is a testament to the positive outcomes of partnership and collaboration in the growth of the Public Health profession in Kenya.
However, Mr. Kimani emphasized that this accreditation marks only the beginning of efforts to improve quality training for Public Health Officers, with the council continuing to implement minimum training standards to bridge the current shortage in the health workforce, particularly at the community level.
