This archive report was first published on 28 July 2019.
As of 2019, Kenya's public health sector is grappling with a severe shortage of officers and technicians. According to Simon Kimani, Chairman of the Public Health Officers and Technicians Council, the country has only 4,000 registered public health officers, a number that is woefully inadequate to serve a population of approximately 45 million citizens.
Speaking after Mount Kenya University (MKU) received accreditation to offer a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Health, Kimani highlighted the dire situation, stating that one public health officer is responsible for the health and safety of approximately 11,250 citizens.
The shortage has had a significant impact on the health sector, making it difficult to monitor public health service delivery in the country. Records available at the Council indicate that over 4,000 Public Health Officers and Technicians are urgently required to address emerging environmental health challenges across the country.
Kimani has urged the National and County Governments, as well as the private sector, to accelerate the employment of public health officers and technicians to provide community public health services through the promotion of good hygiene and sanitation.
However, Kimani emphasized that increasing the health workforce alone cannot guarantee value in health service delivery. Improved quality of professional training is also necessary to produce competent, skilled health workers.
Universities and colleges offering health-related courses have been called upon to improve their standards of training to ensure that graduates are conversant with what is expected of them. This sentiment was echoed by MKU Vice Chancellor Prof. Stanley Waudo.
