PASGR signs MoU with Kenya Health Federation

On 1^st November 2022, The Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) and Kenya Healthcare Federation (KHF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at Mercure Hotel Nairobi. This partnership paved way for the two institutions to collaborate in research, identification of gaps in healthcare and engaging key stakeholders towards the realization of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Kenya.

According to PASGR’s Executive Director, Dr. Anthony Mveyange, some solutions to bridge the gaps in UHC would include use of evidence to identify and curb emerging health threats while implementing local healthcare interventions such as community-based surveillance, use of diagnostic networks and effective vaccine administration. He clarified that an investment in a national health data system would empower healthcare policymakers and providers to ensure targeted healthcare budgets that informed service delivery, with the highest impact on healthcare while addressing emerging barriers to equitable healthcare in the country.

“Weak accountability systems, insufficient human resources, lack of tailored policy formulation and poor policy implementation are critical barriers to the attainment of UHC in the country ’’, said Dr Anastasia Nyalita, Chief Executive Officer, KHF. She added that through this partnership, ‘’ we hope to extend beyond health to wellness and nutrition.”

As a private sector membership-based organization, KHF constitutes the health sector board at Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), aims at facilitating an enabling environment to support quality, accessible and affordable healthcare for all Kenyans. To catalyze initiatives that champion for better healthcare, KHF coalesces support through networking and engagements with key stakeholders in policy and health.

This collaboration will enable PASGR and KHF to: develop and implement research projects in areas of common interest, leverage their networks to broaden the scope and scale of PASGR’s and KHF’s capacity building initiatives in addition to jointly organize forums for relevant policy actors’ knowledge events and engagement.

To set the scene for the MoU signing, was a panel discussion on ‘’The role of the private sector in delivering Universal Health Coverage in Kenya.’’ To dissect this issue, panelists comprised of experts in the health sector including: Mr. Vinod Guptan, CEO Medsource Group Limited; Dr. Linus Ndegwa, Chairman Kenya Dental Association; Dr Samuel Oti, Co-founder, Global Health Decolonization Movement in Africa; and Dr. Ann Kamau, The institute of Development studies, University of Nairobi, made submissions on the different entry points for the private sector in UHC.

“It is important that the private sector collaborates with the public sector to share innovative practices to develop and revamp healthcare systems that speak to are responsive to  challenges faced across the country,” said Richard Obiga, National Social Protection Secretariat during his presentation

Dr. Samuel Oti noted that, “catastrophic” health expenditures were driving families into poverty. He added that, UHC is about ensuring all individuals and communities have access to the healthcare they require. On the other hand, Dr. Ann Kamau, noted that citizens could also play a salient role by prioritizing self-care as a preventive measure to healthcare. This includes self-initiated practices like exercise, proper diet and access to innovative self-care products, such as self-testing options for HIV, TB, diabetes, and hypertension. Dr. Oti further gave insights for the national and county governments to consider use of technology to increase access to quality medical technology, especially in lower-resource settings to bridge the gap between scarcity and access. Dr. Nyalita called on the private sector to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to help identify and address gaps in medical access.

Watch the ceremony’s proceedings here and on KTN News