A recent report by Informa Markets has highlighted that the Kenyan private health sector will be key in the national adoption of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme.
Through its financial and innovative capability, the private sector can play a crosscutting role in expanding the UHC and improving the quality of care, the report noted.
“The private sector can support the Kenyan government through offering financial protection, good governance, fostering innovations, strengthening health service delivery and capacity building in line with the four pillars that UHC sits on,” said Informa Markets Exhibition Director Mr. Ryan Sanderson.
With only 22% of Kenyans with any type of health insurance, the private sector involvement would supplement and reinforce the services of the public sector. This would greatly help the Kenyan government achieve its goal of 100% coverage by 2022.
Under Kenya’s Vision 2030, UHC is about ensuring access to quality healthcare by increasing structural and resource capacity to handle the growing population. With health tourism being one of the flagship Vision 2030 projects, Kenya is expected to position itself as a destination for specialised health and medical services.
Informa Markets report comes ahead of the 2019 Medic East Africa conference that will bring together East Africa’s healthcare and medical laboratory industry players. The conference – divided into three segments – will reflect the current trends and themes that are prominent in the healthcare industry for Kenya, and the surrounding East African region.
“The Healthcare Management Conference, which is spearheaded by the East Africa Healthcare Federation, will focus on the progress and financing of universal healthcare policies. The Public Health Conference, in association with the Kenya Medical Association, will discuss the roles of regional medical associations in strengthening universal health coverage. The Clinical Officers Conference will address the critical part that clinical officers play in upholding a strong healthcare infrastructure,” said Mr. Sanderson.
This will be the seventh Medic East Africa conference to be held and more than 200 exhibitors from 25 countries will be present, running alongside over 60 high level conference presentations, welcoming 4,000 attendees. Last year, 3,430 delegates attended the conference from 25 countries. The full findings of the UHC in East Africa can be found on www.medicaeastafrica.com