Effect of Health Governance Structures on Provision of Health Care in Garissa County, Kenya

Abstract

 In Kenya, devolution has led to establishment of 47 independent counties headed by an elected Governor and County Assembly. The devolution process has presented numerous benefits by bring resources and governance closer to the people. At the same time, it is faced by challenges that have impacted on the effectiveness and productivity of the county government. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of health governance structure on provision of health services in Garissa County. The study was guided by allocation of resources theory. Descriptive research design was used. 1104 county government employees were engaged in the research. Data was analysed through the use descriptive and inferential statistics generated from Statistical Package of Social Sciences. Primary data was collected through the use of questionnaire. Data was presented in tables and figures. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify the trends and patterns that emerge in data. The data collected upheld ethical consideration including anonymity of the participants. The insights gathered from the investigation would be of help to make recommendations that can be used by policymakers and other stakeholders to improve the devolution process. The results of the study indicated that Garissa county government considers providing the required support to the health care sector. There was evident low consultation in the county regarding health care related issues. Residents were concerned that the facilities available are old and unable to scan diseases accurately and promptly. The study concluded that there was strong relationship between the county health governance structures provision of health care in Garissa County, Kenya. The study proposed that county assembly members in Garissa implement a policy on appropriate communication processes to ensure that specific and essential health care information are easily and promptly accessed.