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Nairobi, Kenya: The Nairobi City County Government has launched an ambitious Sh97.8 billion five-year plan whose aim is to improve health services for the country’s 3.6 million residents.
The Nairobi City County Health Sector Strategic and Investment Plan would see an average annual investment of Sh19.6 billion, with the first year requiring Sh17.9 billion.
The plan sets a slew of ambitious targets which include increasing life expectancy for city residents by 10 per cent; reducing infant mortality rate (per 1,000 births) from 60 to less than 50 and maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 births) from 488 to less than 300.
“This blueprint provides a valuable framework for concrete and measurable action to improve the health of the residents of Nairobi. We laud the County Government for its commitment to the plan’s full implementation,” said First Lady Dr Susan Mboya-Kidero.
She lauded the plan’s focus on quality and capacity building in health services and noted that medicare in Nairobi Country’s slums, where the need is greatest, had also been given the necessary accent.
Dr Mboya-Kidero spoke at the launch of the blueprint during a free medical camp for city residents at Makadara Sports Grounds. Also present at the event was the Nairobi City County Executive Committee Member for Health, Dr Timothy Kigondu and other senior executives from the department.
The five-year plan, which has been put together by County Health Management Technical Working Group which comprises top County’s health officials, also has as its targets increased awareness on non-communicable diseases health risk factors from 30 to 80 per cent and improved nutritional status, particularly micronutrient status among children and women, among others.
Other targets include improving access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation from 60 to at least 85 per cent; increasing proportion of Tuberculosis patients completing treatment from 85 to 90 per cent. The plan also hopes to build the proportion of eligible clients on ARV’s (anti-retroviral drugs) from 63 to 80 per cent; reduce mother to child transmission of HIV (Human Immuno-deficiency Syndrome), and cut household expenditure on health from 8.1 to 2 per cent and, especially among the urban poor by 15 per cent.
During the medical camp held at Makadara Sports Ground the first in a series planned by the Nairobi City County Government - hundreds of County residents received free medical consultation, treatment and referrals for a number of medical conditions.
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