Influence of Human Resource Capacity on Public Health Service Delivery in County Governments in Western Kenya Region

Abstract

Poor health service delivery has been linked to the devolution of health services, with some health workers walking off the job due to inadequate pay and unsafe working conditions. This research aimed at determining the influence of human resource capacity on public health service delivery by county governments in the Western Kenya region. The study was anchored on human capital theory. Descriptive survey and causal-comparative research designs were adopted with a target population of 966 personnel consisting of the CECMs, Chief Officers, Directors and County Nursing Officer for Health, Medical Superintendents, Hospital Administrator, Human Resource Officer, Head of Pharmacy, Head of Nursing, Health Records Information Officer, Head of Laboratory, Head of Clinical Services and number of patients admitted, treated and discharged drawn from four Counties of Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega and Vihiga. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires and interview schedules. Content analysis was used for qualitative data while quantitative data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The SPSS Software version 26 was used for statistical analysis. The hypothesis tested for significance of the study at 5% significance level. From the results the beta value for human resource capacity from the regression model was 0.690 at p< 0.05. Human resource capacity explains 47.6% (R2 =0.476) of variance in public health service delivery, thus hypothesis was rejected. Consultation is a necessary part of the decision making process. In this regard, as many of the perspectives of workers who are directly affected by the decision as feasible should be considered.