Mombasa's free treatment drive, BabaCare, has drawn more than 100,000 patients in four weeks. Governor Abdulswamad Nassir says the surge shows the county needs more doctors, more medicines and new hospitals to ease the pressure on Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital.

The governor spoke at Port Reitz Sub-County Hospital, where the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) handed over a refurbished medicine store. The hospital serves more than 300,000 people in Changamwe, Jomvu and nearby areas.

Demand outstrips supply

BabaCare, also called Mwezi wa Baba, started on October 1. It honours former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on the first anniversary of his death. It was planned for October only but has been extended to the end of November. Nearly 89,000 patients were treated in the first 19 days alone.

The county has placed an extra order for medical supplies to cope with the rise in demand, and KEMSA says the order will soon reach the busiest facilities. "I have seen that more doctors are needed," Nassir said after touring Port Reitz. He promised further announcements on the programme.

New hospitals planned

Nassir said the county is putting up new facilities so that patients are referred to Coast General only in serious cases. They include:

  • A new Level 4 hospital at Port Reitz in Changamwe, which he called "state-of-the-art"
  • A hospital at Junda in Kisauni
  • Two facilities in Jomvu
  • A hospital at Mjambere in Kisauni
  • Facilities in Likoni and other wards

Store to protect medicines

KEMSA chief executive Waqo Ejersa said an assessment in April 2025 found poor storage space and deteriorating buildings at the hospital. The upgrade added a new ceiling, air conditioning to control temperature, repaired racks and walls, new doors and windows, office space and guttering for rainwater harvesting. It was paid for through KEMSA's corporate social responsibility budget for 2025/26.

"Protecting the quality of medicines does not end with procurement or delivery," Ejersa said. He added that the store must be backed by temperature monitoring and accurate stock records. KEMSA has carried out similar upgrades at Mtwapa Sub-County Hospital in Kilifi and Msambweni County Referral Hospital in Kwale.

A model for other counties

Ejersa described Mombasa as one of KEMSA's best clients because it pays on time. He said seven national referral hospitals, including Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, no longer face shortages because KEMSA claims are now paid straight from the Social Health Authority.

He asked Nassir, who chairs the Council of Governors' health committee, to persuade other counties to sign similar direct-payment deals. "That problem will easily be solved if there is goodwill like the one we have in Mombasa, in all the 47 counties," he said.

Photos: The Star; The Eastleigh Voice (Governor Abdulswamad Nassir at Port Reitz Sub-County Hospital). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.