Dakabaricha Dispensary, the facility has been closed for one month following accumulated debt of KSh 3M according to the land owner. Photo: Marsabit County.
Human rights activists in Marsabit Town have faulted the county government following the closure of Dakabaricha Hospital following debt with the land owner, which has not been settled.
Mohamed Hassan Omar, a human rights activist from Centre for Research Rights and Development (CRRD), has termed the incident as a shame, as residents in Dakabaricha and nearing areas are suffering in accessing healthcare services.
According to Hassan, healthcare is a major basic need, and there is need for the government to work with urgency to clear the land debt, where the dispensary is currently located.
” The closure of this facility simply means that currently those who depend on the facility are not accessing healthcare which is their basic and fundamental right! My plea is to the county governor is that he should pay the money reduce the suffering of residents around here in seeking quality health services,” Hassan remarked.
Hassan further revealed that together with the hospital’s board, their efforts to the county’s leadership to settle the debt with the land owner have been met with resistance, and he called on the county governor Mohamud Ali to take up action and ease the burden of residents to seek healthcare services.
“I’m informed that facility’s board of management has followed the issue with the county ministry of health but their efforts have not been positive, let the governor play his role. This information will reach the Senate to tell residents why the money is being paid, and lack of concern one month later after closure of the facility! Leaders in this area should not be silence, but come out and ensure the facility is open,” he further said.
The land owner says the accumulated debt stands at KSh 3 million, and until the money is paid in full, Dakabaricha Dispensary will remain closed, with the closure currently running close to a month.
He further faulted the county’s ministry of health for the failure to remit the land payments, despite the county assembly allocating money for the land payments in every financial year.
“I need KSh 3 million from the county, since 2014 there has been money allocated to the budget to pay for the land but never paid, this is sad!,” he angrily remarked.
This comes days after the health sector in the country has been in a worrying state, including frequent industrial actions by the medical officers across various counties, attributed to payments, lack of promotion and poor working conditions.
