The Ministry of Health has stepped up preparations for the inaugural Kenya Health Summit, with officials engaging journalists on the progress and challenges facing the country’s health sector.
The summit, scheduled for August 18 and 19 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), will bring together government officials, health workers, development partners, private sector players and other stakeholders to take stock of the country’s health reforms.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale led the ministry’s engagement with the media, which focused on what the government says has been achieved under the Taifa Care model and the areas that still need attention.
The summit will be held under the theme “Reforms Delivered, Health as a Right.”
According to the Ministry, more than 31.2 million Kenyans have so far registered with the Social Health Authority (SHA). The authority has processed nearly 7.9 million claims and paid out about Ksh164 billion.
The government also says Kenyans registered under SHA can access primary healthcare services at Level 2, 3 and 4 facilities through the Primary Healthcare Fund without making payments at the point of care.
Community level: More than 107,000 Community Health Promoters are rendering preventive and basic health services via 277 Primary Care Networks.
According to the ministry, local production of medicines, medical equipment, and health care facilities is being encouraged as a measure to narrow the gaps in the health system.
Emergency preparedness measures
Measures aimed at improving the emergency preparedness capacity of the government in the event of disease outbreaks or medical emergencies have also been highlighted.
This includes the use of emergency operation centers, disease surveillance programs, and field epidemiology training programs.
922 toll free emergency line was mentioned as part of the measures geared towards enhancing emergency medical services.
The ministry said the emergency services are available regardless of whether a person is registered with SHA.
However, officials acknowledged that the success of the reforms should not only be judged by the number of people registered or the amount of money paid in claims.
The real test, they said, is whether Kenyans are actually receiving better healthcare.
The ministry pointed to issues such as mothers being able to access safe maternity services, patients getting treatment without being pushed into financial hardship and families being able to receive healthcare closer to where they live.
Journalists were also encouraged to look beyond official figures when covering the health reforms.
The ministry urged the media to speak to health workers, patients and communities, visit health facilities and consult experts to establish what is working and where problems remain.
The engagement brought together Principal Secretaries Dr Ouma Oluga and Mary Muthoni, Director-General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth, Council of Governors Chief Executive Officer Mary Mwiti, Kenya Editors Guild CEO Linda Bach, development partners, media representatives, heads of health-sector state corporations and senior ministry officials.
The discussions come just days before the two-day summit, which is expected to provide a platform for the government and health sector stakeholders to assess the progress of Kenya’s journey towards Universal Health Coverage and agree on the next steps.