Kenya seeks to become a regional healthcare hub

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Monday his government is working on consolidating the country’s position as a regional healthcare hub.
Kenyatta, who officially opened the first Kenya Healthcare Convention in Nairobi, said Kenya already attracts patients from several countries in the region including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, D. R. Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Nigeria.
"Kenya's position as a regional resource for high-quality healthcare is a huge advantage that needs to be leveraged further,” he said in a statement issued after the launch.
Kenyatta said despite leading the region in the provision of quality health services, Kenya still has several aspects that need improvement.
The two-day convention seeks to highlight achievements from the counties since the devolution of health services and showcase leading companies, institutions and organizations successfully providing services in this industry, drive engagement in health service delivery and showcase collaborative achievements between government and private sector.
He said the over 10,000 Kenyans who travel abroad to seek specialized medical services cost the economy in excess of 10 billion shillings (100 million U.S. dollars) every year.
He noted that Africa spends an average of 3.8 billion dollars on specialized medical treatment abroad, an amount he said Kenya needs to tap.
Kenyatta challenged healthcare stakeholders to converge towards the improvement of the quality of healthcare and commended county governments for the efforts they have made to improve access to quality healthcare.
"The sustained commitment of resources towards health, averaging 30 percent of county budgets, has seen increased recruitment of health workers and availability of essential medicines and other medical commodities,” he said.
The president noted that Kenya's healthcare industry has a longstanding tradition of close cooperation between the public and the private sector.
He said the close cooperation between the two sectors has enabled the country to extend crucial services to hard-to-reach regions of the country.
Health Cabinet secretary Mutahi Kagwe said Kenya is positioning itself as a destination for health tourism and challenged health sector players to ensure they serve affordable and quality healthcare.
Kagwe called on health professionals to observe high standards of integrity and ensure that Kenyans get value for money whenever they seek medical services.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tomb of Emir Nur in Harar - #Ethiopia Harar Jugol has been listed in the World Heritage by #UNESCO. It is "considered 'the fourth holy city' of Islam" with nearly 100 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century.

Image
  As of this August,   more than 90 percent   of safari tour operators have reported losing 75 percent or more of their annual business due to Covid-19. The pandemic has dealt a devastating blow to an industry that was booming just six months earlier. As country after country went into lockdown and emergency quarantine protocols were put in place, lodges had to  put a halt to safaris —not just because customers weren't making new reservations, but also because scheduled safaris were consistently canceled.  Tony Mobile Safari  in Botswana lost more than 150 expected customers.  Mankwe Wildlife Reserve  in South Africa saw every customer cancel.  Mofeg Travel and Tours  in Ghana normally operates seven tours annually; this year, it was  only able to have one .  And tourists aren't the only ones affected by the safari industry's pause. Jarryd du Preez , a safari ranger at South Africa's Phinda Private Game Reserve for tour company &Beyond, says that lodge and safari co
Read more

State releases Sh8.7bn for needy families

Image
The government has released Sh8.7 billion under the cash transfer programmes to cushion vulnerable people against the effects of coronavirus as directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta. Social Protection Principal Secretary Nelson Marwa said on Sunday that a further Sh500 million has also been released to clear arrears owed to persons living with disabilities. Mr Marwa said the money has already been wired to respective banks, and each beneficiary will receive Sh8,000, which is the cumulative payment between January and April. The paying banks contracted by the beneficiaries include Kenya Commercial Bank, Equity Bank, Post Bank and Cooperative Bank. “This money is meant to cushion these vulnerable groups from the negative effects of Covid-19 as emphasised by President Uhuru Kenyatta,” Mr Marwa said. Speaking last Friday, President Kenyatta said the money is will be devoted specifically to cushion the most vulnerable and to protect healthcare workers. Source: natio
Read more

I have a lot of energy, Kenya must be united ahead of 2022 - DP Ruto

Image
My determination for this coming election, is that we must bring this country together whatever the price and cost, DP William Ruto has said. These were the words of Ruto from a clip aired in  2012. The deputy president shared the clip on Sunday saying that "This was in 2012, 9 yrs ago. Am as persuaded now as was then."   In the clip, Ruto said he is convinced that Kenya must be united. "... those who do not believe that Kenya will be one are in for a shock. I have a lot of energy and I intend to dispense it to get it done," he said.  "We are determined that you will not vote for a person because of the village he is coming from, spelling of his name but what he can do for a nation." Ruto was speaking to Churchill live show in 2012 when he was campaigning. It was not clear what he was alluding to but over the last two weeks, Kenya has seen several politicians who are known foot soldiers of Ruto running to ODM leader Raila Odinga’s office purpor
Read more