As Kenya continues to make efforts towards achieving our Universal Health Care goal, we will be holding the 2nd Universal Health Care Conference on the 11th to 13th September 2018 in Nyeri County. The theme for the conference is “Universal Health Coverage for Sustainable Development” and it seeks to provide a platform through which stakeholders can look at transformative solutions that will specifically counter the growing strain of non-communicable diseases epidemic in Kenya.
For our partners, this conference creates an opportunity to network and interact with the best and brightest in the health sector including representatives from Government, their officials, civil society organisations, professional bodies and associations, international experts, development partners, academia and private sector practitioners.
For the people of the Kenya, the conference provides an opportunity to participate in defining how Universal Health Care can be achieved for each and every one of us as part of the Kenya Vision 2030 goals. It also gives the public the space to learn more about how they can be directly involved in the progress towards achieving this Vision.
For starters, we must acknowledge some of the key reforms that Kenya has already undertaken towards achieving Universal Health Care, these include;
- Free maternity services in all public health facilities since 2013;
- Free primary health care in all public primary healthcare facilities – about 3,300 facilities;
- Major programme to equip major public hospitals across the country with modern diagnostic equipment (94 facilities) where contracts have already been signed up with suppliers;
- A National Referral Strategy has been developed and piloted;
- Health insurance subsidies through NHIF targeting disadvantaged groups continues to be implemented;
- Provision of infrastructure and equipment to health facilities across county governments (new wards, ambulances, additional health workers); among other initiatives.
Under the health sector, imperatives to achieve Universal Health Coverage include the need to mobilise adequate resources, increase investments in Primary Health Care, and reform key institutions such as the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to align them to the UHC agenda. The increase in funding for the health sector, especially primary healthcare, shows the commitment by the government to roll out UHC countrywide by 2022 so as to guarantee access to quality and affordable health care.
Government healthcare financing and social health protection approach such as the elimination of user fees, Linda Mama, subsidies for the poor and Health Insurance Subsidy Programmes have been successful towards helping Kenya achieve Universal Health Care.
While we acknowledge the progress that has been made, more continues to be done to achieve UHC. Moving forward we believe that increase funding to the sector through Government, Donors and Private Sector, minimizing fragmentation of financing pools – insurance and general tax revenue, strengthening NHIF to expand coverage, building quality assurance and accreditation system and continued strong government leadership in the health sector will promote Universal Health Care in Kenya.