By Clifford Akumu. Checking out and experiencing the thrill of the Renault Virtual Reality Technology at the @Total motorshow @KICC_kenya … On the 12th December 2018, President Uhuru Kenyatta declared Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to be a national priority in Kenya, as part of his ‘Big Four Agenda’ for national sustainable development. Int J Equity Health. The purpose of this analysis was to critically review the various initiatives that the government of Kenya … Figure 1: Universal Health Coverage Cube • 6 out of 10 Kenyans did not have access to essential healthcare services in 2014. Key facts. WHO annually selects a key health issue of public importance and encourages member states to hold events that highlight the significance of the health issue at hand for good health and wellbeing. The CS revealed that almost one million Kenyans are pushed to poverty every year as a result of healthcare expenses thus Universal health coverage is a fundamental human rights issue. Achieve 100% Universal Health Coverage by scaling up NHIF uptake. She revealed that four out of every five Kenyans have no access to medical insurance and that among the poorest quintile only 3% have health insurance with disparities between rural and urban populations, where rates of coverage are an average of 12% and 27% respectively. President Uhuru Kenyatta has won the Political Leadership Award for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) from the African Union, Access Challenge. The Universal Health Care Goal aims at cushioning citizens against out of pocket expenditure on health services said the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Sicily Kariuki during the World Health Day 2018 event on Friday. • 4 out 10 Kenyans were at risk of getting into financial hardship or poverty because of out of pocket healthcare payments in 2014. ... Main Components to be financed ØCommunity health services ØPublic Health … On the fifth anniversary of the UHC movement, we reflect on a few key steps to reach UHC. Situation Analysis 3. The Constitution, through the chapter on Bill of Rights, puts a heavy responsibility on the health sector to ensure that the right to health is realized. The Social Pillar of the Kenya Vision 2030 seeks to invest in the people in order to improve the quality of life for all Kenyans by targeting a cross-section of human and social welfare projects and programmes with Health as a key sector. The key pointers from this conference were: For us to be able to achieve our goal of Universal Health Care for all Kenyans by 2030, emphasis will need to be placed on some key areas such as the scaling up maternal and child health, immunization coverage, prevention of non-communicable diseases particularly diabetes and hypertension, prevention of water borne, TB and HIV sexually transmitted diseases among others. Health lays the foundation for vibrant and productive communities, stronger economies, safer nations and a better world. Roadmap towards Universal Health Coverage in Kenya … The CS called upon stakeholders to increase their investments in healthcare and also commended the county governments for progressively increasing their allocations to health services, from about 13 percent of the total County Government budget in fiscal year 2013/14, to 25 percent in the current year 2017/18. 1. In order to have a strategy that is holistic and inclusive, the development of the strategy used a participatory process. The theme of the second Universal Health Care Conference has a special focus on solutions that can counter the increasing concern around non-communicable diseases which are responsible for over 55% of deaths in Kenya. NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta today announced the launch of a universal health coverage (UHC) plan, positioning Kenya as a leader in achieving quality and affordable healthcare in the African continent. NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 27 2018 (IPS) - The Government of Kenya has prioritized universal health coverage (UHC) in its Big 4 agenda over the next 5 years. Why? We believe that, good health and nutrition boosts the human capacity to be productive and that in turn enhances economic growth and contributes to poverty reduction. Progress towards UHC can be tracked using an index that captures both service coverage and financial protection. Introduction 2. … As the lead health … Ministry of Health (2018). Two years ago, the Kenyan government piloted a universal health coverage programme in four of its 47 counties, easing access to health services for millions of people. Strong UHC performance is correlated with the share of a country's health … “This is laudable effort from the counties and we encourage more counties to continue to increase their allocations to health,” she said. • The Universal Health Coverage index for Kenya … Ministry of Health (2018). Ministry of Health, Operational guidelines for implementing Universal Health Coverage interventions in Kenya, 2018–2022 14. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the new WHO Director-General has said that, “all roads should lead to universal health coverage.” With its technological prowess, a hotspot for innovation, incredible entrepreneurial spirit and enterprise, Kenya must be at the vanguard on the road to universal health … The constitution of Kenya, under the Bill of Rights, gives the citizens the right to the highest attainable standards of health in line with the WHO Constitution which declares health a fundamental human right, thereby committing to ensuring the highest attainable level of health for all. Universal Health Coverage is where communities have access to all needed health services without financial hardship. Every year over a million Kenyans get trapped into poverty because of a catastrophic out of pocket payments due to health … Nairobi, KENYA April 6, 2018 – The Government has prioritized attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to reduce the expenditure burden that a majority of Kenyans incur while seeking healthcare. The CS observed that the 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. As Kenya, continues making strides towards promoting UHC, at least 3.2 million Kenyans in four counties will be the first beneficiaries of a new health package being developed by the Government. Conclusions: There are variations in health insurance coverage in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania, with Ghana recording the highest coverage. 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