Has the government built 191 hospitals in the last 16 months as claimed?

Claim

Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura in a press briefing said that the government had built 191 public hospitals and increased bed capacity by 14% in the last 16 months.

“The number of public hospitals have been increased from 13,841 to the current number of 14,532. And this is a 5% increase,” Mwaura said.

Background

A report launched by the Ministry of Health in September 2023 revealed the inefficient infrastructure and workforce within the health system in Kenya. These include nurses, doctors, specialists, equipment and special facilities such as Intensive Care Units (ICU) services. The report states that 381 facilities offered critical care services; 217 (1.8%) facilities provided High Dependency services (HDU) and 164 provided ICU services.

Verification

According to the Economic Survey 2023 which captures data on various sectors, 16,517 health facilities were in operation in Kenya. However, this figure includes facilities owned by the government, faith-based organisations and the private sector. Of those, 6,890 are owned by the Ministry of Health (MoH). “The total number of health facilities increased by 2.2 per cent to 16,517 in 2022,” the report reads. Government-owned facilities are 6,890, 41.7% of the total number of facilities in 2022

A more recent report, The Kenya Health Facility Census Report September 2023, stated that of the 14,883 hospitals assessed, 12,384 were defined as complete with three sections. Of these, 5,784 are public health facilities. See screen grab below.

Additionally, he added “With our national bed capacity increasing by 14.8% to the current number to 109,020.”

According to the Economic Survey 2023, public hospitals accounted for 39,210 beds out of a total of 94,925 in 2022. See screen grab below.

The more recent Kenya Health Facility Census Report September 2023 puts the national bed capacity at 139,113 but does not break down the ownership. This however is the national figure including those owned by private facilities and faith-based organisations and is closer to the 109,020 beds quoted by Mwaura.

Verdict

The figures quoted by Isaac Mwaura claiming that 191 hospitals have been built by the government are INACCURATE.