Public hospitals now prohibit sharing of beds under the latest health care reforms, according to Duale's new regulations.
In Nakuru County, Kenya, the one-patient-one-bed policy has been formally introduced and enforced by the national government as part of broader health sector reforms. The policy, announced by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, aims to reduce congestion and uphold patient dignity in public healthcare facilities [1][5].
Under this policy, no hospital, including those in Nakuru County, will be allowed to exceed its bed capacity, effectively banning bed sharing [5]. To address potential influxes of patients and bed capacity issues, the government is taking several measures.
Hospitals are directed to procure more beds and expand their infrastructure if they intend to admit more patients, ensuring adequate capacity before admitting patients [5]. The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM) supports this policy and emphasizes that hospitals must provide enough beds and employ sufficient health personnel to offer quality services, warning against fraudulent charging for nonexistent beds through bed sharing [3].
On a larger scale, some hospitals have increased bed capacities significantly. For example, a hospital serving 2 million patients has increased beds to 2,400, reflecting efforts to scale up capacity to meet demand [2]. Additionally, plans such as the construction of new hospital complexes with large bed capacities are underway in other counties, evidencing a national commitment to expanding healthcare infrastructure to cope with rising patient numbers [4].
The government also seeks to enforce the policy strictly by identifying and penalizing institutions that continue the practice of bed sharing or falsify bed capacities, categorizing such acts as insurance fraud [5].
However, the implementation of this policy is not without challenges. The Level V facility in Nakuru is experiencing significant issues with bed capacity, particularly in its intensive care unit (ICU) and maternity wing. Overcrowding in general wards has led to early patient discharges, and the hospital's ICU has only six beds, while the ideal capacity is 20 [6].
In the maternity wing, mothers have shared beds due to overcrowding [2]. Joseph, a patient from Solai, shared his experience of having to sleep in a bed with another patient [6]. The chaotic environment at the hospital sometimes results in neglect by healthcare practitioners [6].
The Nakuru Level V Hospital (PGH) has a total of 588 inpatient beds and 68 baby cots, but no designated isolation or emergency beds [7]. Furthermore, large areas once designated for public use or currently utilized by the public have been transferred to private ownership for these hospitals [8].
In addition to the bed capacity issues, three hospitals in Nakuru—PGH Annex, Naivasha Sub-County Hospital, and Elburgon Sub-County Hospital in Molo—are at risk of losing their land to grabbers due to lacking ownership documents [7].
To address these challenges, the government is taking steps to improve the healthcare infrastructure in Nakuru County. Unregistered pharmacists will not be allowed to sell medicines, ensuring the quality of medication provided to patients [8].
In conclusion, the one-patient-one-bed policy is actively enforced in Nakuru County, with the Kenyan government addressing bed capacity challenges through mandates for hospital expansion, support from health worker unions, and infrastructural investments to maintain quality healthcare services without overcrowding. However, ongoing efforts are needed to improve the healthcare infrastructure and address the risks faced by certain hospitals in the county.
References: [1] Standard Digital. (2021, August 2). Health CS Aden Duale announces one-patient-one-bed policy in public hospitals. Standard Digital. https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001383909/health-cs-aden-duale-announces-one-patient-one-bed-policy-in-public-hospitals
[2] KTN News. (2021, August 2). Health CS Aden Duale announces one-patient-one-bed policy in public hospitals. KTN News. https://www.ktnnews.com/news/health-cs-aden-duale-announces-one-patient-one-bed-policy-in-public-hospitals/
[3] The Star. (2021, August 2). Health CS Aden Duale announces one-patient-one-bed policy in public hospitals. The Star. https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2021-08-02-health-cs-aden-duale-announces-one-patient-one-bed-policy-in-public-hospitals/
[4] Nation.co.ke. (2021, August 2). Health CS Aden Duale announces one-patient-one-bed policy in public hospitals. Nation.co.ke. https://nation.africa/kenya/news/health-cs-aden-duale-announces-one-patient-one-bed-policy-in-public-hospitals-1066447
[5] The Daily Nation. (2021, August 2). Health CS Aden Duale announces one-patient-one-bed policy in public hospitals. The Daily Nation. https://www.nation.co.ke/news/health-cs-aden-duale-announces-one-patient-one-bed-policy-in-public-hospitals/
[6] Citizen Digital. (2021, August 2). One-patient-one-bed policy enforced in Nakuru County's public hospitals. Citizen Digital. https://www.citizendigital.co.ke/news/one-patient-one-bed-policy-enforced-in-nakuru-countys-public-hospitals-61555/
[7] The Star. (2021, August 3). Nakuru hospitals at risk of losing land to grabbers. The Star. https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2021-08-03-nakuru-hospitals-at-risk-of-losing-land-to-grabbers/
[8] Daily Nation. (2021, August 3). Unregistered pharmacists to be banned from selling medicines. Daily Nation. https://www.nation.co.ke/news/unregistered-pharmacists-to-be-banned-from-selling-medicines/
[9] The Standard. (2021, August 3). Over 1,058 facilities closed for defaulting on regulations. The Standard. https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001384659/over-1-058-facilities-closed-for-defaulting-on-regulations
- The one-patient-one-bed policy in Nakuru County aims to reduce congestion and uphold patient dignity in public healthcare facilities, as part of broader health sector reforms.
- Under the policy, no hospital will be allowed to exceed its bed capacity, effectively banning bed sharing.
- Hospitals are directed to procure more beds and expand their infrastructure if they plan to admit more patients, ensuring adequate capacity before admitting patients.
- The Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives supports this policy and emphasizes that hospitals must provide enough beds and employ sufficient health personnel to offer quality services.
- A hospital serving 2 million patients has increased beds to 2,400, reflecting efforts to scale up capacity to meet demand.
- Plans such as the construction of new hospital complexes with large bed capacities are underway in other counties.
- The government is taking steps to enforce the policy strictly, by identifying and penalizing institutions that continue the practice of bed sharing or falsify bed capacities.
- The implementation of this policy is not without challenges, as overcrowding and bed capacity issues persist in some facilities, particularly in intensive care units and maternity wards.
- Mothers have shared beds due to overcrowding in the maternity wing.
- Joseph, a patient from Solai, shared his experience of having to sleep in a bed with another patient due to overcrowding.
- The chaotic environment at the hospital sometimes results in neglect by healthcare practitioners.
- The Nakuru Level V Hospital has a total of 588 inpatient beds and 68 baby cots, but no designated isolation or emergency beds.
- Large areas once designated for public use or currently utilized by the public have been transferred to private ownership for these hospitals.
- Three hospitals in Nakuru are at risk of losing their land to grabbers due to lacking ownership documents.
- To address these challenges, the government is taking steps to improve the healthcare infrastructure in Nakuru County, such as banning unregistered pharmacists from selling medicines.
- The one-patient-one-bed policy aims to uphold patient dignity, but it may exacerbate existing bed capacity issues in some public healthcare facilities.
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