Nairobi, KENYA 24 November 2017 – The Kenya health sector is in the process of defining the Health Financing Strategy which will give impetus to Kenya’s journey towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Health, Dr. Cleopa Mailu said the Government is committed to implementing health system reforms aimed at accelerating movement towards Universal Health Coverage as a means of realizing the “Right to Health” as enshrined in the Constitution.
The CS made the remarks in Nairobi today during a preparatory meeting towards the UHC forum which will be held in Tokyo and the launch of the Japan’s policy and Human Resources Development Fund (PHRD) project in Kenya.
The agenda of the meeting was to discuss the Government of Kenya progress towards attainment of Universal Health Coverage and in particular, commemorating the launch of the Japan’s Policy and Human Resources Development (PHRD) project in Kenya.
The PHRD Project will contribute towards achievement of UHC and will enhance Kenya’s capacity for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks, disease outbreaks and other public health events of international concern (PHEIC), such as those related to chemical and radiological hazards.
Dr. Mailu revealed that the Ministry of Health is proposing targeted interventions such as Results Based Financing for regions with sub-optimal health indicators, re-energizing advocacy for national health insurance, addressing health system inefficiencies, advocating for increased budgetary allocation, harmonization and alignment of external resources to improve efficiency and effectiveness and strengthening public-private collaboration.
In order to sustain the gains made during the MDG era, the CS noted that the National and County Governments are jointly implementing key programmes using a three pronged approach aimed at expanding the number and scope of services available to the population, expanding coverage of existing services, focusing on hard to reach populations and reducing financial risk associated with use of essential services.
‘’These programmes range from Maternal and Child Health, HIV, TB and Malaria, Non-Communicable diseases, improved health Infrastructure and equipment, Health commodities and supplies and robust disease surveillance and response,’’ he said.
Then CS also observed that the implementation of free maternity programme through the NHIF, the introduction of health subsidies for the poor and elderly and the waiving of all health service costs for children under the age of five years has greatly impacted the health status of children in Kenya.