The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Related Articles
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has ordered an immediate stop to the practice of bed sharing in public hospitals, calling it an outdated and undignified system that must be urgently resolved.
Click here to join our WhatsApp Channel
Speaking during a Universal Health Coverage (UHC) forum in Mombasa with members of the National Assembly Health Committee and key health stakeholders, Duale condemned the situation where several patients are forced to share a single bed—despite hospitals billing the Social Health Authority (SHA) as though each patient had their own.
“It’s unacceptable to have four patients in one bed while charging SHA for four. If you need to admit more people, then invest in more beds,” he said.
He criticized the state of hospital infrastructure that forces patients to either sleep on the floor or share beds with others who may have unrelated conditions, describing the situation as inhumane.
“No Kenyan should be forced to share a bed or sleep on the floor, especially with strangers suffering from different ailments,” he added.
Separately, Duale also vowed tough action against misuse of the SHA Fund, announcing an ongoing crackdown on fraud involving health facilities and workers.
Click Here To Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel
He disclosed that 31 private hospitals had already been closed in various counties due to suspected malpractice tied to public health financing.
“So far, seven hospitals have been shut in Kisumu and others in counties including Bungoma, Busia, Nairobi, Mandera, Wajir, Kajiado, and Kilifi,” Duale revealed.
