Involve citizens in formulating health initiatives

Health is now higher on the global agenda than ever before, and concern for people’s health is becoming a central issue in development. Indeed, three of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for health improvements by 2030: reducing child deaths, maternal mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The nations of the world have agreed that enjoying the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being irrespective of race, religion, political affiliation, economic or social status.

Beyond its intrinsic value to individuals, health is also central to overall human development and poverty reduction. To echo this, 129 governments committed to ending health burdens in ICPD 25 in Nairobi, Kenya (United Nation, 2020).

 The Kenyan government has committed to achieving UHC by 2030. This was launched by former president Uhuru Kenyatta.

 Vision 2030 emphasizes a high-quality, affordable healthcare system. The Health Financing Strategy of 2010 also reiterated these commitments towards UHC. It emphasizes social health protection for Kenyans by introducing social health insurance and tax financing for vulnerable populations.

 Quality services cannot be achieved without a well-designed health system. UHC depends on financial systems that will ensure adequate resources are in use. This can only happen if citizens can access quality services without facing financial hardships.

 According to WHO,  about a billion people around the globe have no access to healthcare.

Constitutional right

In Kenya, while access to quality healthcare is a constitutional right, which has been mentioned in Article 43 (a), millions still struggle to pay for services even in government hospitals, including people covered under the National Hospital Insurance Fund.

 Such barriers contribute to societal inequalities and undermine the sustainability of social and economic gains.

So, why can’t the government improve the health system? Politics is the most profound driver for change in our country.

 Nearly one million Kenyans fall below the poverty line because of healthcare-related expenditures every year (World bank 2014). Expanding health access will reduce this burden. Citizen engagement plays an important role in social accountability and strengthening of health systems.

 The impact of modalities through which Kenyans make demands on the degree to which they feel empowered to trigger recognition and action from the government remains an open question.

Empowering citizens and making the government more accountable, closing the gaps between what citizens want and what the government does will aid in social accountability. There is a need to move from transparency to accountability. Increasing transparency on its own does not ensure accountability.

 Mr Shuaib is Executive Director of Epic Youth Organization (EYO).