The government has made great strides in health care, with even a greater resolve to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for all Kenyans and address global health threats.
Speaking during a press conference at the Ministry of Health Headquarters in Nairobi, Public Health and Professional Standards PS Mary Muriuki documented the progress made so far, following the recent implementation of the country’s Social Health Authority (SHA) program, while emphasizing the importance of digitization and community participation.
Pointing out that the program is all about equitable access for all Kenyans, Muriuki announced that the Taifa Care system, which is already in place in key counties, has brought down the turn-around time for outpatient procedures to only 46 minutes, largely improving efficiency.
“Since October 2024, 907,853 people have utilized primary healthcare among SHA members and claims valued at Sh14.6 billion have been approved,” she revealed.
However, despite this remarkable progress, the PS noted that bottlenecks still remain, including low weekend enrollment and delays occasioned by dependents being enrolled only at the time of seeking care.
Consequently, Muriuki urged families to update profiles in good time and called on community health promoters to ensure they keep making follow-ups on hard-to-reach populations.
At the same time, she commended Kenya’s progress on matters health, which so far recorded 18.2 million Kenyans all registered under SHA, marking a milestone in the government’s UHC agenda.
“The system continues to be fully rolled out, making access and delivery of health care easier to patients through tools that register and streamline enrollment,” affirmed Muriuki.
The PS stressed that every effort by the government is for the dignity and health of every Kenyan, adding that similar sentiments have been echoed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) with regard to global partnership, which list Kenya as a leading African role model of health resilience.
Meanwhile, the Director General (DG) for Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth gave crucial updates on vaccines and Kenya’s readiness against the Marburg Virus Disease.
Dr. Amoth took note of the disease outbreak close to Kenya’s borders with Tanzania, cautioning that the country still remains at high risk due to cross-border movement.
“We commend Kenya for its preparedness plan, but vigilance is critical,” he reiterated, urging that early symptoms like high fever and muscle aches must be addressed urgently to contain potential outbreaks.
“Our call to action is that communities are very important in bringing such an outbreak to an end through public mobilization and advocacy to the people,” he rallied.
The DG congratulated Kenya for replenishing vaccines, among them the Bacillus Calmette- Guèrin (BCG) and Measles Rubella, with others such as rotavirus, tetanus and polio scheduled to arrive soon.
He urged parents to ensure that their children receive all the doses insisting that no child should miss out on any vaccination.
By Gabriel Mwangi and Emmanuel Mbuthia