Health CS Cleopa Mailu defends Health ministry's performance

Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu addresses the State House Summit on Health at State House Nairobi yesterday. Government officials cited key developments in the health sector amid questions about the quality of health care during a summit at State House yesterday. (PHOTO: PSCU)

Government officials cited key developments in the health sector amid questions about the quality of health care during a summit at State House yesterday.

While the Health ministry insisted that Kenyans were healthier now than three years ago, glaring cases ranging from poor service delivery to poor funding cropped up during the conference that brought together officials from both the national and county governments, health professionals and the public.

"Indeed Kenyans are healthier than they were three years ago. Access to affordable and quality healthcare has improved, death rates continue to drop and not only are people living longer but living more years free of disability and disease," said Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu.

He said Kenyans were accessing increasingly innovative and specialised healthcare including improved diagnosis and treatment options, which were not available before.

According to data presented by the ministry, the death rate had fallen by half in 2014 compared to the 2000 rate that was at 14 out of every 1,000 people.

More women are living longer than men as data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that in 2015 Kenya's life expectancy was 61 years for men and 66 years for women. The average life expectancy is 63 years, which puts Kenya at position 145 worldwide.

Maternity services

"The Government  committed to improving the lives of Kenyans by increasing access to health services and ensuring provision of quality health services," said Dr Mailu.

He further underscored the need to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 3, which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

In its manifesto, the Jubilee government promised to improve access to health facilities, increase the number of well-equipped health facilities and provide free maternity services; manage major causes of ill health among mothers and children, use technology in health service delivery and provide universal health coverage through reforms in the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

Mailu noted that health facilities had been equipped through the Sh38 billion Managed Equipment Service; free maternity care at Sh4.5 billion annually, free services at each level at a cost of Sh900 million, investments to reduce the HIV and Aids burden, TB and malaria at a cost of Sh28 billion and the expanded scope of NHIF to cover chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

Members of the public present, however, questioned why health services remained poor in some public hospitals.