Health and Sanitation officials in Bungoma County have said that the County is looking forward to implementing a reverse referral strategy in facilities with a sole aim of improving service delivery to the residents.The officials further revealed that the reversal strategy is now at 75% in Bungoma.
Isaac Kiptei, Chairperson, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) Network said that his organization is working with the County Health Management Team (CHMT), the county health and sanitation taskforce among other partners to ensure that the reverse referral strategy is implemented.

Simon Masika, in charge of referral and linkages said that the county has decided to employ the reverse referral strategy to ensure that locals do not travel for long from the villages to Bungoma County referral hospital seeking services.

“In terms of referrals within our health facilities we are not doing badly but we want to employ the reverse referral strategy to fill the existing gaps,” Masika said.

However, Masika said that reverse referral means moving specialists from the Bungoma County referral hospital and Webuye County hospital to the peripheral facilities in Sub- County, dispensaries and health centers.

“This move mainly aims to reduce congestion at the Bungoma County referral hospital and also save the cost of patients travelling from far flung areas to Bungoma County referral hospital so that we manage them from where they are coming from,” he said.

In addition, Masika asserted that the reverse referral will not only move specialists but also move specimens from Sub County, dispensaries and health centers to the referral hospital for analysis.
“We want to save the cost of patients moving specimens from village facilities to the referral facility,” he said, noting that there are some facilities like Sirisia and Tongaren sub- county hospitals that have theaters but they do not have enough manpower.Barasa Nyukuri, Chairman, the County health and sanitation taskforce, said that to achieve Universal Healthcare, Bungoma needs an effective and efficient referral strategy which can now help clients who are unable to access services in our facilities.

“For Bungoma to achieve this, we must invest in human resource leadership and governance so that we have enough personnel who are properly trained to undertake referrals,” Barasa noted.

The taskforce Chairperson also asked Governor Kenneth Lusaka to invest heavily in health infrastructures so that locals can be able to get the much needed services.

“The County also needs to invest in information, health products and technology among other pillars of the law,” he said.

Also present were Bungoma County referral hospital Dr. David Wanikina, deputy County director for health and sanitation services Dr. Emma Nyaboke among others.