Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has announced plans to recruit 447 health professionals on short-term contracts to address a surge in patients following the county government’s decision to provide free health services throughout October.

Nassir said the initiative has received an overwhelming response, with health facilities recording a significant increase in the number of patients, including residents from outside Mombasa County.

“We declared the whole month of October that health services will be free, and I am proud to announce that the response has been overwhelming. We are getting a good response, and we have seen a surge of people from even outside Mombasa,” Nassir said.

The Governor said the increased demand had prompted the county to seek additional personnel to support health facilities experiencing pressure due to the rising number of patients.

“We have received requests for extra personnel, and we are going to be increasing personnel. They will be on short-term contracts, with 447 professionals to be taken on board,” he said.

Nassir said the county would move quickly to fill the staffing gaps rather than undertake a lengthy recruitment process for the short-term positions.

“There is no time for us to say we are going to advertise for this. When the time comes when we are going to take professionals for the long term, we will advertise,” he said.

The Governor also assured residents that the county has adequate supplies of medicines to support the increased number of patients seeking treatment under the initiative.

“We have enough medicines,” Nassir said, while noting that the number of patients being attended to has increased significantly.

“The number of patients we are currently seeing is more than four times,” he added.

Despite the positive response, Nassir acknowledged that the increased demand has created challenges for some health facilities, with some being forced to operate for longer hours to cope with the influx.

“There have been a few challenges, like some facilities working extra hours due to the surge in patients,” he said.

He further identified challenges associated with the Social Health Authority (SHA) system, saying the county was engaging relevant authorities to address the issue and improve service delivery.

“The second challenge is the issue of SHA, and we are currently in discussion with the Digital Authority to help us with more equipment to help cater for all our patients,” Nassir said.

He added that the county was also expecting additional medical equipment, including theatre equipment, to strengthen health facilities and enable them to cope with the increased workload.

“More equipment, like theatre equipment, is to be delivered to help in the situation,” he said.

The free health services programme is part of the county government’s October initiative aimed at increasing access to healthcare for residents while easing the financial burden associated with seeking medical treatment.