The Ministry of health has announced plans to strengthen its partnership with the World Bank to improve the health sector and maternal mortality in Kenya. The ministry has also expressed its desire to use the knowledge of the World Bank on matters of digital health to improve the quality of health services in Kenya. The ministry has also expressed its desire to lower maternal mortality during pregnancy and childbirth.
The announcement was made following a meeting between the Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and the World Bank team to deliberate on health programs in Kenya. The meeting was aimed at planning the next steps for health programs in Kenya.
The ministry expressed its desire to use the knowledge of the World Bank on matters of digital health to improve health services in Kenya. The ministry has also expressed its desire to lower maternal mortality during pregnancy and childbirth.
The World Bank team commended the government for the progress recorded in the health sector in recent times. The team also commended the government for launching the Social Health Authority (SHA). So far, 29.6 million Kenyans are registered under the program.
According to Duale, the ministry is intensifying efforts to reduce the rate of deaths among pregnant women through better emergency services for pregnant women, better hospital referral systems, and the use of better data systems in service delivery.
Additionally, a hotline has been launched to report cases of deaths occurring in health facilities among pregnant women, which indicates the extent to which the issue of maternal health has been recognized in the country.
Duale also noted that the government is working hard to improve the distribution system of medical products through the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) so that there are no stockouts in hospitals.
He also noted that the country is seeking a higher level of certification from the WHO by June 2026, as this will ensure a better system of regulation in health products so that confidence in the system will be enhanced.
If the partnership works out well, more people will have access to quality health care, and more lives will be saved.
