Governor Abdulswamad Nassir lays the foundation stone
for the Bofu Level 2 Facility in Likoni on Thursday / BRIAN OTIENO
The Mombasa county government loses about Sh130 million in revenue through waivers at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital, Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has said.
Nassir said this is not sustainable.
He said the waivers might be in small amounts including Sh20,000, Sh70,000, and Sh100,000, but collectively they are a huge hole that threatens to paralyse the operations of the largest referral hospital in the Coast region.
“That is why the county government has invested in Level 4 and 5 facilities so that residents who visit the hospital have their SHA paid for by the county,” Nassir said.
Speaking during the laying of the foundation stone for the construction of Bofu Level 2 hospital at Peleleza ground in Likoni on Thursday, Nassir said the county will come up with Mombasa residents cards, which will identify locals who visit the county facilities.
He said this way, it will be easy to identify Mombasa residents in case they are to benefit from SHA payments, waivers, or any other benefits that the county will come up with.
The resident’s card, he said, will help residents get discounts at county facilities.
“You will no longer be looking for political leaders to help you get waivers and other benefits from county services, especially in hospitals,” Nassir said.
The governor said the same card would be used in bursary issuance to identify Mombasa residents.
“I will not shy away, and I have no apology to make. I am the governor of Mombasa. My primary objective is to benefit the people of Mombasa,” he said.
Nassir said he will ensure he lays the foundation for development of the county in future through tangible forward-looking projects.
The governor said the Manyatta hospital in Bofu ward is dilapidated and will be brought down and be replaced with another modern one to be built from scratch.
Already, modern equipment including ultra-sound machine, a CT Scan machine, X-Ray machines, theatre machines and laboratory machines have been procured, he said.
“This means you will no longer have to cross the Likoni crossing channel for health services at the Coast General hospital anymore,” Nassir said.
He said that is why there is need for the public to participate in the public participation forums so they can air their needs for proper planning.
This way, he said, there will be no lamenting that something is missing because all the needs will be catered for Annual Development Plan.
He will move around all the 30 wards in Mombasa to collect views from the public, after which he will bring a supplementary budget and amendments to the Annual Development Plan which he said the MCAs should be able to pass.
“So that we can solve the issues where some thought we would be breaking the law,” Nassir said.
He said he would not want confrontational style of leadership saying he is also capable of tackling hard.
“These feet are ready to step on mud, but instead, I would like to step on the carpet so that our people benefit,” Nassir said.
Instant Analysis
Hospital waivers are one of the ways that political leaders gain popularity in Mombasa when they push for them on behalf of families that struggle to pay hospital bills. This is why the hospital waivers are becoming a threat to the county government’s medical service delivery.
