Overview

The overall leadership of the Health Department is under the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) who is responsible for the policy and representation of the department in the County Executive Committee.

The Chief Officer is the accounting officer for the financial and human resources. The consultative management of the Department is vested under the County Health Management team (CHMT) with the County Director of Health (CDH) as the chairman.

The CHMT is constituted by heads of various professional cadres.

The Department comprises of three directors namely Curative Health Service, Universal Health Coverage and Promotive and Preventive Health Services.

The Sub County Health services are managed by the Sub County Medical Officer of Health (SCMOH) who leads the Sub County Health Management Team (SCHMT). Busia County Referral Hospital is led by a medical superintendent while the other Sub County hospitals are led by medical officers.

The hospitals have Hospital Management Committees Teams (HMT) and Hospital Management Committees (HMC).

About

Vision: The department focuses on a healthy, productive and internationally competitive County.

Mission: In our mission, we aim at building a progressive, sustainable, technologically-driven, evidence based and client centred health system with the highest attainable standards of health at all levels of care in Busia County.

Goal: Better health in a responsive manner

Core Values:We cherish and inculcate the following core values in our staff and all those that we deal with in the course of providing services:

• Trustworthiness- being honest, fair, dependable and worthy of confidence
• Customer-centeredness- Addressing customers’ needs and concerns
• Teamwork- Working together towards a common goal
• Effective communication- conveying information clearly to our customers for desired actions
• Professionalism- Serving customers with competence, integrity and positive attitude

Mandate

To build a progressive, sustainable, technologically driven, evidence based and client centered health system with the highest attainable stands of health at all levels of care in Busia County.

Directorates

The Department has the following directorates:

Administration

                         H. E Arthur Odera,Deputy Governor, CEC Health and Sanitation

Dr. Wilberforce Ojiambo Lusamba, Medical Services & Universal Health Coverage and Project Directorates.

Dr. Susan Outa Akinyi, Public Health and Sanitation Directorates

Director Medical Services Dr Janerose Ambuchi

Dr. Janerose Ambuchi is a gynaecologist consultant. Dr Ambuchi obtained a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Nairobi. She holds a Masters Degree majoring in Obstetrics and Gynaecology from University of Nairobi.

She worked as a Medical Officer of Health at the Kakamega Provincial General Hospital before deployment at Mukumu Mission Hospital on secondment, where she initiated and ran the Comprehensive Care Centre (CCC) for the holistic management of HIV/AIDs.

In 2006 Dr Ambuchi worked at the Mater and Aga Khan hospitals in Nairobi where she served as a Junior Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

She also worked at the Busia District Hospital which was later upgraded to Busia County Teaching and Referral Hospital as the County Gynaecologist and Obstetrician from 2008 to 2016 overseeing the larger Busia County within the seven Sub Counties.

In October 2012 she was elevated to the position of Medical Superintendent at the same hospital.

She has vast management skills having been trained on Senior Management Course, Strategic Leadership and Development, Strategic Human Resource and Policy Formulation at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi.

Dr Ambuchi is a member of the Kenya Medical Association (KMA), Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society (KOGS), Kenya Medical Pharmacists and Dentists Unionas well asEast, Central and South Africa College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ECSACOG).

Director Preventive and Promotive Services

Dr Melsa Machio Lutomia is a career medical practitioner with experience spanning nearly three decades having started her job as a medical officer at Kakamega provincial General Hospital in 1992.

She holds a Masters of Philosophy in Public Health (MPH) from Moi University (2001-2003).

Dr Lutomia obtained her bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBCHB) from University of Nairobi (1986-1991).

She is also an Alumnus of Mukumu Girls High School, where she studied for both O and A level certificates respectively.

Prior to her current posting, Dr Lutomia had also served in senior positions in the medical profession in various parts in Western Region which include Assistant Director Medical Services in former Teso District.

Director Universal Health Coverage Dr David Mukabi

Dr David Mukabi holds a Masters Degree in Medicine from Moi University (September 2011-April 2015).

He also has a Bachelors Degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) from Moi University (January 2000- December 2006).

He attended several short courses at different institutions in line with his profession.

Earlier Dr Mukabi worked at Webuye County hospital in Bungoma County as a senior Medical Officer, resident in Family Medicine between January 2012-April 2015.

Between September 2015 and January 2020, he served at Busia County Teaching and Referral Hospital as a physician, Medical Superintendent.

Currently, he is the Director Universal Health Coverage and also Coordinator for Busia County Covid-19 Activites.

Achievements

1. Under Infrastructure development, the department managed to complete the accident and emergency block at Busia County Referral Hospital and has put part of the building to use.

The ground floor, serving as the casualty area is currently used to review the patients of special clinics while the 3^rd floor, set aside for administrative purpose, is being used for board meetings among other engagements.

The ICU equipment were also installed on the building’s 1^st floor, waiting servicing (tendering on going) and later on ICU services will be launched to offer this vital service to the residents of Busia.

Great strides were also made in the implementation of other projects including the Kenya Devolution support Programme (KDSP) projects.

Among these was the completion of the 30-bed Male Medical ward at Kocholiya Hospital in Teso North Sub County.

The conversion of a ward to a state of the art laboratory was also completed in the same facility.

Significant progress was also made towards completion of Maternity and newborn unit at Port Victoria Hospital in Bunyala and will soon be completed awaiting commissioning.

The Referral Hospital has also received a major facelift with the laying of cabro works at the hospital parking bay, improvement of walkways, building of modern gate among others.

It is also worth noting that during this period, the department advertised and awarded the tender for the construction of a Mother and Child Hospital as part of its strategy of expanding services for attainment of UHC, at a cost of 110M.

The project is currently on going, at foundation level

• 2. Under leadership and governance, the department was the first in the county to develop and launch a five year Strategic and Investment Plan (available on the county website).

It also developed a 4-year County Nutrition Action Plan, the Annual Development Plan 2020/2021 and all this documents are currently available on the county’s website.

In collaboration with the county assembly, the department has managed to develop a number of county legislation touching on health.

Among these are the health sector services funding Act passed in 2015 with an amendment to the same currently on going.

Others before the floor of the house include the community services bill, the public health services bill and the reproductive services bill, all at different stages of passage by the county legislative arm.

The lab at Busia county referral hospital also attained star 3 under the WHO’s SLIMPTA classification (Stepwise Laboratory Improvement Programme Towards Accreditation), a first since it launched operations in the new building in 2016.The laboratory at  Alupe  also received ISO certification 15189.

The department also created the office of the Universal Health coverage and posted a director and 5 other staff to the unit as part of its commitment towards the Big 4 Agenda

• 3. A number of facilities have also been commissioned. Among them were Igula dispensary in Butula sub County, Mukonjo Dispensary in Samia Sub County, Buyosi dispensary in Matayos Sub County, Kapina in Nambale,Odengeroin Nambale, Aloet in Teso North and Muyafwa in Matayos Sub County. More are targeted for operationalization in the current financial year

• 4. Under Human resource, more than 300 staff were promoted as a means of boosting motivation and rewarding effort. Also under the Universal Health Care project, the county managed to recruit a total of 249 staff of various cadres ,with a further 69 staff who were previously engaged on temporary terms being absorbed to P&P . overally , over the last 2 and a half years , the department has managed to employ over 445 staff to mitigate staff shortage.

• 5. The department has continuously attracted partners to the county to assist in supplementing the county government’s efforts. Among the partners the county has engaged and sustained over the years include AMPATH in the field of HIV/AIDS, Nutrition International in Nutrition, Fred Hollows in Eyecare Services, Tupime County in Leadership, accountability, M&E, Malaria and HIV, Redcross and Living Goods in Level 1 interventions, PRD/PACE in advocacy and Health financing

• 6. Under equipment and supplies, a number of equipment have been procured and delivered. Under review, including furniture and medical equipment mostly under KDSP projects and some for operationalization of lower facilities under the ward fund.The department managed to procure assorted medical equipment worth Millions of shillings including dental chair, Hospital beds , delivery beds, autoclaving machines ,BP machines and laundry machines for 3 hospitals. Under the THS world bank support, a number of equipment have been procured for facilities including Khunyangu and Sio Port hospitals and others

• 7. The THS – UC grant from World Bank (Transforming Health Systems for achievement of Universal Health coverage) also had significant investment towards strengthening of RMNCAH interventions. During the period under review, the department utilized the funds to procure 2 additional utility vehicles for Samia and Teso North sub counties. Minor Renovations were successfully undertaken at Busia Referral Hospital, Amukura and Angurai using these funds. Other interventions executed included integrated outreaches (Including Beyond zero van) , review meetings, AWP planning and targeted trainings.
• 8. The department has also managed to acquire 3 new additional utility vehicles under the THS project : one for Samia Sub County, one for Teso North and one for use by the county team including chief officer. The department has received a donation from APHIA plus. Recently, another vehicle was received from the Ministry of Health Nairobi towards COVID 19 pandemic.