NAIROBI, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health announced Wednesday that it has developed a roadmap to strengthen domestic health financing as overseas support dwindles.

Debra Barasa, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Health, said the initiative follows Kenya's reclassification from a low-income to a lower-middle-income country.

Speaking at a forum in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, Barasa said the roadmap is currently in a pilot phase, set to run until the end of the year, before transitioning into full implementation from 2026 to 2030.

"We developed the roadmap following the donor's announcement to exit supporting us after we were reclassified from a low-income to a lower middle-income country," Barasa said during the one-day forum to discuss mitigation measures on domestic funding.

The health sector transition plan prioritizes essential medical commodities, service delivery, human resources, health information systems, and infrastructure improvements, including better coordination of vertical disease programs, Barasa noted.

She highlighted Kenya's progress in building strong institutions to ensure sustainable healthcare services, adding that the country's forecasting and quantification models guarantee adequate medical supplies, including a six-month buffer stock.

Kenya's operational plan for enhancing readiness to sustain a resilient HIV response beyond 2030 outlines five key pathways, namely governance, service delivery and systems, health financing, health products and technology, and community engagement, Barasa said.

By strengthening health financing mechanisms such as the Social Health Insurance Fund, Kenya aims to establish a more sustainable, locally driven response to HIV and other public health challenges, Barasa said.

She urged lawmakers to advocate for increased budgetary allocations to the health sector, particularly for HIV programs, warning that without sustained domestic investment, the gains made in the fight against HIV are at risk. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)