Kenya healthcare system

Kenya healthcare system

Kenya is among the fastest-growing economies in the world. As a middle-income country, the country has a relatively robust healthcare system. Accessibility to health in Kenya has increased from 37 to 54 according to the HAX index. Kenya’s healthcare system consists of several systems that include private, public, non-governmental and faith-based. Public healthcare is the common healthcare system accessible to most of Kenya. It has been categorized into six levels: level one- community-based; level two- clinics and dispensaries; level three nursing homes and maternity; level four- sub-county healthcare facilities; and level five referral hospitals.   

Community oversight

Ideally, community participants in matter healthcare have been an integral part of the Kenya healthcare system. This means key stakeholder in the healthcare industry, such as the community, has taken an active role in enabling the community to access low-cost and quality healthcare services (Sitienei, Manderson & Nangami, 2021). The Kenyan constitution provides numerous provisions that facilitate community participation, like oversight of public facilities. The community oversights committees are responsible for ensuring people in the community have access to healthcare and establishing health care facilities. Furthermore, community participant in Kenya has enabled organized community-based groups to participate in the development of various forms of healthcare policies that aim to serve the community’s interest.

Nevertheless, community oversight in Kenyan has not been effective in its functions. Corruption has been cited as the biggest challenge for community-based participation to provide proper oversight in the functionality of healthcare facilities in the community. More so, a significant percentage of people in rural areas have been observed not to take an active role in participating in the planning and oversight of healthcare facilities within their communities.

Reference

Sitienei, J., Manderson, L., & Nangami, M. (2021). Community participation in the collaborative governance of primary health care facilities, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. PloS one, 16(3), e0248914.