Core Functions
According to the fourth schedule of the Kenyan constitution and various ministerial circulars the core functions of the Department of Health Services are:
• Provision and management of county health services
• Provision of emergency medical services and disaster management
• Promotion of primary health care
• Licensing and control of undertakings that sell food to the public
• Cemeteries, funeral parlours and crematoria
• Waste management.
• Development of County specific health legislation and policies
• Development of health infrastructure
• Resource mobilization
• Planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of service delivery
• Financial management
• Procurement of Medical supplies and equipment
• Human resource recruitment, development and management
• Manage clinics, dispensaries, health centres and hospitals
Department’s Policy Objectives
The Nyamira county Health Sector Vision and Goal aims to realize the following six policy objectives:
1. Eliminate communicable conditions. This is to be achieved through reducing the burden of communicable diseases until they are no longer of major public health concern.
2. Halt and reverse the rising burden of non-communicable conditions. This is to be achieved by ensuring clear strategies for implementation of interventions to address all the identified non communicable conditions in the country.
3. Reduce the burden of violence and injuries. This is to be achieved by putting in place specific strategies, in collaboration with stakeholders in other sectors, which address the underlying causes of injuries and violence.
4. Provide essential health care. These will include preventive, promotive and curative services that are affordable, equitable, accessible, and responsive to client needs.
5. Minimize exposure to health risk factors. This aims at strengthening health promoting interventions which address risk factors to health, and facilitating use of products and services that lead to healthy behaviour in the population.
6. Strengthen collaboration with other sectors. This aims to adopt a ‘Health in all Policies’ approach, which ensures the Health Sector interacts with and influences design, implementation and monitoring processes in all health-related sector actions.
Key Health Indicators
Impact level Indicators |
County estimates |
National |
Source of information, year |
Life Expectancy at birth (years) |
63 |
60 |
KNBS, 2008 |
Crude mortality (per 1,000 population) |
13 |
106 |
CRD, 2012/13 |
Neonatal Mortality Rate (per 1,000 births) |
30 |
31 |
KNBS 2012, |
Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000 births) |
46 |
56 |
KNBS 2012 |
Under 5 Mortality Rate (per 1,000 births) |
58 |
74 |
KNBS 2012 |
Maternal Mortality Rate (per 100,000 births) |
385 |
400 |
Ministry of Devolution & Planning ,2013 |
Adult Mortality Rate (per 100,000 births) |
6.57 |
30 |
CRD, 2012/13 |
HiV Prevarence |
6.4 |
|
NASCOP |
Functional Health Facilities by Type and Ownership
The County Health services are organized across three tiers of service delivery: Community services that focus on organizing appropriate demand for services, Primary care and hospital services that focus on responding to this demand. There are a total 69 Community units; 130 health facilities that include Hospitals, health centres and dispensaries of which 62.3% are owned by public, 12.3% owned by Faith Based Organizations (FBO) while 25.4% are privately owned.
Ownership |
Primary Care |
Hospitals |
Total |
Community Units |
Government |
73 |
8 |
81 |
69 |
FBOs |
16 |
0 |
16 |
0 |
Private for profit |
33 |
0 |
33 |
0 |
Total |
122 |
8 |
130 |
69 |