The government has announced plans to improve care for people living with haemophilia, including moving to have the condition covered under the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Speaking during World Haemophilia Day at Kenyatta National Hospital, Principal Secretary for Medical Services Ouma Oluga said the move will help patients access treatment more easily and reduce the cost of care.
He indicated that moving away from registration of individuals on the health insurance to ensuring that services provided under such a cover, especially hospital payments and treatment of disease is now the major focus of the government.
It would be clear that the inclusion of haemophilia as part of the cover of health insurance in the country will go a long way in addressing problems of patients of haemophilia.
He further requested for early diagnosis of the diseases and emphasized the importance of creating increased awareness through introduction of screening in lower health levels and enhanced referral systems for easy access to specialized care centers.
On the issue of staffing, the PS indicated that the government will keep investing in healthcare workers by ensuring that problems facing intern doctors and those working on Universal Health Coverage is sorted out hence ensuring peace in the health sector. He further implored the health personnel to be kind enough when dealing with their patients.
Additionally, efforts have been made to enhance supply of medicine and utilization of technology in the health sector. There are efforts underway to develop mobile applications that can support tracking of medicines and other services as well as mechanisms for monitoring drugs and services.
Dr Oluga further advocated for increased funding towards cutting-edge treatment, including the application of gene therapy.
This conference involved stakeholders such as David Ole Sankok, Richard Lesiyampe, Karanja Njoroge, and Gladwell Gathecha, together with other participants like doctors and patients who were advocating for improved treatment of haemophilia.