Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe says the government remains committed to availing the highest attainable standard of healthcare for all Kenyans as enshrined in the constitution.
Speaking in Nairobi County, while representing President Uhuru Kenyatta during the commissioning of three health facilities, the health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the government has systematically enhanced access to essential Primary Health Care services with a focus on health equity and social justice.
“Universal Health Coverage provides that all persons in Kenya will be able to use the essential services they need for their health and wellbeing through a single unified benefit package, without the risk of financial catastrophe,” said the CS.
According to Kagwe, Kenya is currently suffering a double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases coupled with emerging health threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
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He said the challenges have seen the National government through Nairobi Metropolitan Services embark on a strategy to avail necessary resources and arrest the situation especially among those living in the city’s informal settlements with President Kenyatta having already commissioned 17 health facilities.
“The commissioned hospitals have to this point attended to 1,528 deliveries, 483,153 Child Welfare Clinics and over 500,000 Adult patients including in-patient Surgical Services and Outpatient Services in the Hypertensive, Psychiatric, Maternity, Child welfare, Antenatal clinics as well as Family Planning and HIV Testing Services,” observed the health CS.
He said the government has invested heavily in community health services which has proved a game changer for the country’s healthcare.
“I want to emphasize that Health systems will do little to save lives without the support of strong community health strategies to keep populations healthy and out of hospitals,” Kagwe said.
The three health facilities that were commissioned on Wednesday are Githurai 44 Health Centre, Babadogo Health Centre and the Ngara Otology Centre bringing the total number of health facilities under the programme to 20 with more set to be commissioned in the coming days. The facilities have been constructed by the Nairobi metropolitan services.
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