The Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Health has reaffirmed the Government commitment to eradicate Neglected Tropical and Surgical Diseases in the country.
Speaking today during the launch of Breaking transmission strategy for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), in Meru County CS Sicily Kariuki said the Ministry of Health will firmly place these conditions as a matter of primary health care concern and a critical component of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
“We cannot stand and raise up as a country implementing UHC if we leave the affected people behind,” she said.
Some of these conditions are cleft lip and palate, cataracts, hernias, clubfoot and fistula among others.
“These conditions exist because of lack of public awareness, stigma, and inadequate programmes including funding for corrective interventions,” she said.
The CS revealed that the strategy is a phased approach, commencing with neglected cleft lips and palates through strong partnerships with Smile Train to eliminate the backlog of approximately 7,000 cases in the country.
Meanwhile the ministry has completed a national study documenting all public first-referral hospitals in readiness to provide safe quality reconstructive surgical services.
“We will utilize the community health workers, in the door to door identification campaigns and referral of patients with neglected surgical conditions using an innovative mobile health application that will form the basis of introducing digital health in the country,” she noted.
During the occasion the CS distributed immunization preservation equipment to increase facility coverage of immunization in the county from current 72%.
“This will ensure 15% of children not fully immunized in the county receive the necessary vaccines,” she noted.