This paper describes and evaluates the budgeting and planning processes in public hospitals in Kenya. Researchers at the Kemri Wellcome Trust research programme used a qualitative case study approach to examine processes in two public hospitals in Kenya.
The research showed that the budgeting and planning process in the case study hospitals was characterised by: lack of alignment, inadequate role clarity and use of informal priority-setting criteria. In both hospitals, decisions were not based on evidence, implementation of decisions was poor and the community was not included.
“It is clear that to improve priority-setting practices, decision makers in charge of these hospitals will need to focus their attention not only on the content and outcomes of priority setting but also - equally important - on the process.”
Public hospitals in Kenya could improve their budgeting and planning processes by:
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aligning budgeting and planning practices
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clarifying composition and roles of decision-making structures
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using explicit and formal priority-setting criteria
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incorporating both efficiency and equity in decision making
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following deliberative democratic principles such as stakeholder engagement and empowerment, transparency, use of evidence and incorporating community values
Read more in this blog by Edwine Barasa.
