Deputy President William Ruto says Kenya’s Health Sector is the one sector that needs the Bottom-Up approach the most.
Speaking about the Kenya Kwanza Health Agenda, DP Ruto observed that the health sector suffers from trickle down economics.
“If there’s a sector that suffers from trickle down and needs a bottom-up it’s the health sector,” he said on Monday at Catholic University.
DP Ruto noted that the majority of Kenyan patients seek services in Level 4 and Level 5 hospitals because they are apprehensive about the quality of service in smaller hospitals.
This, he said, results in overcrowding of top-level hospitals, which in turn affects service delivery.
“60 percent of patients in Kenya choose to go to referrals because there are limited experienced professionals or lack of drugs,” DP Ruto said.
“We have to figure out how we start from the bottom, empower dispensaries and enable health workers to give service to the people.”
DP Ruo also identified the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) as a major challenge to the country’s drug supply structure.
“We must sort the health commodity supply chain.”
“I do not know about the wisdom of having a monopoly called KEMSA. Some may persuade us that there is logic, there is a reason why we have a facility that does not have drugs that are required at the right time but has drugs that stay in the store till they expire,” he said.
Ruto said his administration would ensure quality healthcare facilities for those at the bottom of the pyramid and ensure coverage through NHIF to eliminate the cost burden on Kenyans.
“Healthcare is a concern for all Kenyans. Kenya Kwanza will bring a transformative approach to healthcare based on the Bottom-Up principle,” he said.
