The Kenyan government is finalizing the establishment of physical structures and manpower to facilitate the decentralization of health services in line with the provisions of the new constitution.

Senior officials revealed on Friday that the East African nation has borrowed best practices from the region to initiate comprehensive devolution of the health sector and ensure services are closer to the people.

"The county governments will manage all aspects of service delivery while the central government will oversee policy formulation. We are hoping the decentralization of health services will boost efficiency and accountability," said the Director of Medical Services, in the Ministry of Medical Services, Francis Kimani.

The entire public sector in Kenya will undergo radical overhaul after March 4 general election when county governments are formed and take charge of provision of essential services like education, health and water supply.

Kimani stressed that the government has established structures to manage the devolution of health systems without disruption.

"We have realigned various health policies with the new constitution to ensure that devolution of both preventive and curative services is carried out smoothly. There is adequate personnel that has been trained to handle this transition," Kimani said during a national health conference in Nairobi.

He reiterated that devolution of health sector is critical to help the government tackle the disease burden at the grassroots.

"Evidence from elsewhere indicate that devolved health systems lead to better service delivery. Communities will have greater say on running of health facilities in their locality and the new constitution empowers them to demand quality and efficient services," Kimani said.

Decentralization of health services will boost the fight against a host of communicable and lifestyle diseases affecting Kenyan communities.

The Director of Public Health and Sanitation in the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, Shanaaz Shariff, emphasized the need to strengthen local health facilities to enable them cope with a growing disease burden.

"When we devolve the health sector, critical services like immunization and mothers attending ante natal care go up. It is hoped that improved service delivery at the local level will accelerate the attainment of health MDGs," Shanaaz said.

Kenya has initiated far reaching reforms in the health sector to enhance decentralization of primary health care.

"We must have strong local structures to ensure communities take charge of health services," a leading Kenyan public health specialist, Miriam Were, told Xinhua.

The specialist emphasized that devolving health services will boost the fight against infectious diseases like malaria, HIV/Aids and Tuberculosis.