The Senate health committee now wants the national government to devolve more health functions to the county governments.
This is as calls to have the sector returned to the national government intensifies among other legislators.
The committee members, Senators Wilfred Machage, Zipporah Kittony and Catherine Mukite said the national government must also release more funds to the sector.
Machage said, “The Senate is pushing for the additional Sh7 billion to be added to the budget to enable health sector to receive enough funding.”
He wondered why the national government withholds Sh52 billion in the last financial budget that was meant for the sector.
He noted that such funds should be channelled the county government to address challenges facing the health sector.
“Any penny meant for the health sector must be taken to the county governments and every health function still in the national government must be scaled down,” he said.
Mukite defended the retention of the health sector at the counties noting that the public are satisfied by the services in most hospitals.
She said the only challenge facing the sector is the human resource noting that most hospitals are understaffed.
Kitony who is the vice chair of the committee says they are visiting level five hospitals in Western Kenya region to listen to their challenges and ensure the public are getting better services.