Kenya’s healthcare system ranked second best in Africa
A patient undergoes cancer screening at the Integrated Molecular Imaging Center located at the Kenyatta University Teaching Referral and Research Hospital on January 10, 2022.
What you need to know:
- The Numbeo Health Index Report-2024 shows that the healthcare system recorded an overall healthcare index score of 61.1, placing it behind South Africa, which topped the list with a score index of 64.
- This is based on its effective equipment for modern diagnosis and treatment, skilled and competent medical staff, and accuracy and completeness in filling out reports.
The Kenyan healthcare system has retained its position as the second best in Africa on readiness to offer quality medical services, according to a new survey. The Numbeo Health Index Report-2024 shows that the healthcare system recorded an overall healthcare index score of 61.1, placing it behind South Africa, which topped the list with a score index of 64.
This is based on its effective equipment for modern diagnosis and treatment, skilled and competent medical staff, and accuracy and completeness in filling out reports.
On a global scale, Kenya is ranked position 51.
A health index is a standardised measure used to compare and evaluate the overall health of a country over time.
Nigeria came third with a score index of 48.7 per cent for having good equipment to handle modern diagnosis and treatment and being swift in filling out medical reports.
It toppled other large African countries such as Egypt and Morocco, which scored a healthcare index of 47.5 and 44.7 respectively.
“Kenya performed higher in skills and competency of medical staff, accuracy and completeness in filling out reports, equipment for modern diagnosis and treatment, convenient location to the patient, friendliness and courtesy of the staff with a moderate score in cost of treatment and response to attend to waiting patients,” indicated the survey.
Despite this ranking, Kenya's health sector is still facing challenges.
The Kenya Health Facility Census report by the Ministry of Health showed that only 10 per cent of public health institutions are equipped to deliver basic services.
The country is also facing a shortage of critical care services, with less than half of the assessed 12,375 health facilities offering critical services. Out of Kenya's 2,304 critical care beds, only 34 per cent are available in public hospitals.
Kenya launched its ambitious Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme to ensure affordable health care for all. This included the signing into law of the Primary Healthcare Bill, Facility Improvement Financing Bill, Digital Health Bill, and Social Health Insurance Bill.
The survey also shows a drop in the quality healthcare system from the 2023 report when Kenya posted a performance index of 61.8.
However, Fitch and World Bank reports indicate that Kenya is a promising market for medical devices and has been ranked as one of the fastest-growing markets in the sub-Saharan.
Numbeo is a global research organisation that tracks the quality of healthcare systems worldwide.
Taiwan and South Korea were ranked the world’s best healthcare systems, with score indices of 86.1 and 82.7 respectively.
