One of the key Jubilee government campaign pledges of offering free maternal care to mothers is on the brink of collapsing in Nakuru County after it emerged that the national government had failed to release funds to facilitate the programme.
County health CeC Dr Mungai Kabii Thursday said that the county was indebted of over Sh100 million by the national government which poses a negative impact on service delivery.
He said that the National Treasury had failed to honour an agreement to refund the amount after the county was forced to supplement the project by funding its health facilities.
"It is the responsibility of the national government to give us funds for running the programme but things are getting out of hand because of the huge deficits our facilities face due to lack of funds," he said during a press briefing in his office.
According to statistics from the county's health department, the Rift Valley Provincial General hospital is indebted of close to Sh50 million, Naivasha sub county hospital Sh60 million, while the Molo and Giligil Sub County hospitals are each demanding for Sh8 million and Sh10 million respectively.
The county is now appealing to the national government to clear the arrears before the programme stalls.