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Former Director of Health Services in the Nairobi Metropolitan Services Dr.Ouma Oluga has been shortlisted for the position of County Chief Officer for the department of health in the Nairobi City County government.
Dr. Oluga, who was previously the secretary general of the Kenya medical practitioners and dentists board, is being touted as the best suited for the position and enjoys the support of Health workers and community leaders.
Dr. Oluga, who was appointed the Director of Health Services in the NMS following the deed of transfer of functions from the Nairobi county to NMS in 2018 prides himself of a glittering four-year period of service delivery making him among the best-suited candidates to fill the position among those shortlisted.
NMS in the years that Dr. Oluga worked for Nairobi as NMS, the county was able to achieve many milestones among them the employment of more than 2000 workers including 200 doctors, 44 specialists, 800 nurses, 100 lab techs, 100 nutritionists, and 34 drivers in Nairobi county to boost health service delivery within the county.
Key among other achievements that Dr. Oluga spearheaded as the director of health services at NMS include the establishment of an Emergency Operation Centre with a toll-free line of 1508 and more than 13 new advanced life support ambulances which today are used to attend to all emergencies outside hospitals and inside hospitals in Nairobi.
Dr. Oluga also was central in the verification and enrollment of 7460 community health workers who have, for the first time in history, been put on a stipend of Kshs 3500 per month and an additional cumulative figure of Kshs 25 million for all of them every time they participate in an activity.
The former union leader’s tenure at NMS saw the enrollment of 66,108 poor and indigent families into the national NHIF scheme a move that has seen them get the opportunity to visit hospitals and be treated for free.
The NMS health department also provided more than 72000 families with cash transfers of Kshs 4500 per month for four months during the COVID-19 lockdown and curfews when factories and businesses were closed due to the ministry of health restrictions that were aimed at curbing the spread of the Coronavirus.
It is also under the guidance of Dr. Oluga at the NMS health department that the Pumwani Hospital was upgraded to a world-class hospital where no preventable death has been recorded in the last year.
According to records at city hall, Dr. Oluga also spearheaded the projects that saw NMS build, equip, staff, and operate 32 hospitals in all of Nairobi’s informal settlements to serve 3.1 million people living in the slums and who were previously crowding at Kenyatta National Hospital.
The NMS in Nairobi also made all 118 hospitals sign NHIF contracts so that they can begin to claim money and buy drugs that have been a big challenge in many facilities. As well, he led the negotiations for all the workers at NMS and Nairobi City County to be included in the Comprehensive Civil Servants Medical Scheme which enabled them to go for treatment in high-level facilities including abroad. Previously they suffered under the AAR insurance scheme and gazetted the Community Health Services Act and fronted 30 other policies and guidelines to assist Nairobians to live healthier and prevent diseases.
NMS Health department also delivered more than 3.5 million Covid vaccines.
It is due to the NMS health department leadership that Dr. Oluga was awarded internationally for reducing HIV prevalence in Nairobi from 6.1% to 5.1% as well as increasing the number of women delivering in public health facilities from 32% to 55%. NMS has also been able to increase gender-based violence clinics from 22 to 46 and initiated 24 mental health service clinics in Nairobi.
Others who have been shortlisted for various Chief Officers positions in Nairobi county include Amani National Congress (ANC) party leader Musalia Mudavadi presidential campaign strategist Lynette Nyangweso, and Nairobi’s Planning boss Patrick Analo Akivagi.
Kenya’s record 13 times premier league soccer champions AFC Leopards former Secretary General Oscar Igaida, and Sande Oyolo father to comedian Ofweneke.
The Former Embakasi ward Member of County Assembly (MCA) Michael Ogada and the 2022 UDA Dagoretti North parliamentary aspirant Gabriel Bukachi Chapia.
The 2017 Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Langata constituency parliamentary loser Oscar Omoke and former Nairobi Central Business District Association (NBDA) chairman Boniface Karimi Nyamu have also been shortlisted.
The Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya coalition assistant treasurer Lucy Mworia and two times Embakasi West ODM party nominations aspirant Boash Ogello did not make the cut.