Ministry of Health has started planning for the National Health Summit which aim is to congregate major players to share ideas on reforms that will enhance healthcare services and expedite the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Kenya.
The first steps towards holding the summit involved a high-level gathering of the Principal Secretary for Medical Services Ouma Oluga who chaired the session of Chief Executive Officers of State Corporations, Semi, Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs), and the Ministry directorates.
The health summit will be an opportunity for the various players to talk over the major concerns of the health sector like availability and ready financing of healthcare, adequate and competent human resources for health, use of digital platforms, commodity security, local manufacturing, innovation, and development of strategic partnerships.
The talks will be guided by the government’s Bottom, Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and the main focus will be on increasing healthcare services of quality accessibility to people and strengthening the various health systems that will lead to sustainable health outcomes.
The meeting attendees analyzed the prepared summit structure such as main themes areas, approaches to raising fund, and arrangements to carry out the event. The summit is anticipated to be held in early August.
Also, Dr. Oluga pointed out that working together isn’t an option but an imperative if the national and county governments are to effectively engage the development partners, the private sector, and other stakeholders for inclusive participation and coordinated efforts in health sector transformation.
Besides that, the session was graced by Presidential Health Advisor Daniel Mwai, alongside Chief Executive Officers of State Corporations, SAGAs, and technical directors from the State Department for Medical Services and Administration.
The National Health Summit will be a major feature in the calendar of events in the health sector as it’s the main platform where health stakeholders get a chance to make an assessment of their performance, discuss the bottlenecks and strategize ways of delivering healthcare and producing healthy people in Kenya.