This archive report was first published on 30 July 2019.
Kenya's Path to Universal Health Coverage ¶
On July 29, 2019, Kenya's Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki spoke with The Star about the country's progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The conversation centered around the UHC pilot program, dubbed Afya Care – Wema Wa Mkenya, which was launched in December 2018.
The pilot program was rolled out in four counties: Kisumu, Nyeri, Machakos, and Isiolo, with 3.2 million people registered for the Afya Card. The program aimed to provide affordable healthcare to Kenyans without financial hardship.
According to Kariuki, the pilot program has shown promising results, with an average increase in the utilization of health services ranging from 20% to 44%. The increase is evident in both outpatient visits and inpatient visits.
When asked about the number of health workers participating in the pilot, Kariuki stated that all health workers attached to public facilities are taking part in the exercise. This includes doctors, nurses, clinical officers, laboratory and pharmaceutical technology officers, and allied health workers.
One of the key lessons learned from the pilot program is the importance of strengthening Kenya's health systems. Kariuki emphasized the need for a robust financing mechanism, a well-trained and adequate workforce, reliable information, and well-maintained facilities and logistics to deliver quality medicines and technologies.
Another crucial aspect of UHC is the primary health care approach. Kariuki noted that increasing access to services at the community level and ensuring these services meet the needs of the community and are responsive to their needs is essential.
Regarding the cost of the pilot program, Kariuki stated that the government has allocated Sh3.9 billion, above the counties' allocation to health. This money has not even been fully used up, demonstrating that quality health is not necessarily dependent on the amount of money available.
When asked about the national scale-up of UHC, Kariuki mentioned that the ministry and county governments are currently adapting the lessons learned from the pilot exercise into a UHC national scale-up model. The President will launch the national scale-up of the UHC program once the consolidation of these lessons is complete.
Regarding the phased approach to the national rollout, Kariuki stated that the government is working to ensure national scale-up involves a package that can be accessed by the entire population. The benefits package will be accessed across all counties, with county-specific needs adapted into the package.
Finally, when asked about the annual cost of the national rollout, Kariuki mentioned that the Ministry of Health and Council of Governors will share the aggregated resource needs for national scale-up once the consolidation is finalised.
Read the full interview HERE.
