Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale visited Mombasa County on a Thursday to inspect its major hospitals, aligning with the government’s efforts to improve health care and protect the public.
The CS visited the Mombasa Regional Cancer Centre and the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital. He toured the facilities, inspecting the services being offered through Universal Health Coverage and the renovations being undertaken.
The CS reiterated that the purpose of such visits is straightforward: Kenyans deserve quality and affordable health care close to home and access to specialized care such as cancer treatment without having to travel long distances.
“Mombasa serves a lot of patients from the Coast region. We want the facilities here to be well equipped and able to meet the rising demand,” the CS said.
Later, he presided over the destruction of 1,430 boxes of contraband cigarettes, weighing almost 20 tonnes in total. The CS termed the contraband cigarettes a health hazard, using the destruction as a warning to all traders involved in selling contraband goods.
This is part of a nationwide crackdown ordered by President William Ruto, who has declared drug and substance abuse a national security threat.
The CS was accompanied by Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni and hosted by Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir and other county officials.
The visit was welcomed by the county officials, who termed it an indication of the high level of collaboration between the national and county governments to improve health care and protect the public from dangerous drugs.
The Ministry of Health indicated that more hospital inspections and destructions are set to follow in other parts of the country as part of efforts to improve health systems and protect the public.