By Sandra Blessings
A decade after Dr Richard Lesiyampe was appointed as the first non-medical Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), he is making a return to the institution, in a move the government has termed as part of leadership reforms.
First appointed as the CEO by then Health Minister Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o in June 2011 amid protests from the medical fraternity, it was described as a shift from the tradition of picking medical doctors to lead hospitals countrywide.
And yesterday, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale went back for Nyong’o’s blue-eyed CEO by transferring him from Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), where he was the acting chief officer, to Kenyatta National Hospital and appointed Dr Joshua Clinton Ombiri Okise as the acting CEO of JOOTRH.
In a circular, the CS wrote: “The Government of Kenya has identified healthcare delivery as one of the core pillars of its Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda. As the apex national referral facility, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) plays a critical role in advancing health sector reforms and achieving Universal Health Coverage. To support this mandate, Dr Richard Lesiyampe has been transferred to act as the Chief Executive Officer of Kenyatta National Hospital.
Dr Lesiyampe, formerly acting CEO of JOOTRH, brings vast experience to strengthen KNH’s governance, clinical, and administrative systems in line with the ongoing reforms.”
Lesiyampe, the former Principal Secretary in the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment, has been behind the recent development and growth at JOOTRH.
Some of his achievements include enhanced revenue generation — from a paltry Sh30 million to Sh60 million, and currently Sh150 million.
“When I came to JOOTRH, the hospital was making a revenue of Sh30 million every month. In three months, it had risen to Sh60 million. We now make Sh150 million per month.
Part of the funds are used to purchase drugs. As we speak, out of 10 drugs prescribed to a patient, you can only miss two. Prior to this, we only had 30 per cent of the drugs,” he said.
Dr Lesiyampe said 95 per cent of lab tests are done at the facility since they have been working to ensure availability of all the reagents.
Other changes he brought at the facility included upgrading the hospital kitchen to gas from firewood. The hospital has also acquired new machines, drilled an internal water source, and currently produces its own paints to limit expenditure.
He also came up with a communication strategy of holding meetings with heads of departments every first day of the week and an open meeting for all staff once every month.
“We have also managed to employ 140 more workers over the last one year, including 60 nurses, 10 doctors, among other medical officers,” he said.
In 2011, Nyong’o, on his appointment, said that he wanted a leader and a manager who could transform the ailing health facility. But his choice of Dr Lesiyampe was met with objection from doctors.
“A number of individuals at Afya House who resisted my appointment said they could not allow a non-medic who had been managing wildlife to manage patients,” he said in a recent interview.
Before his appointment at JOOTRH, Dr Lesiyampe, formerly a PS at the Ministry of Agriculture, had unsuccessfully vied for a gubernatorial position in Samburu.
He developed a simple work policy called Management by Walking Around (MBWA) that saw him succeed at KNH and JOOTRH.
“I was able to transform KNH in just 18 months. What made it possible is the fact that I utilised the skills and knowledge I had gained over the years in different professions,” he said.
Dr Lesiyampe credits his success to his “Rhino Philosophy” – charging forward without hesitation, much like the animal.
