Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale. Photo/Aden Duale/X
By Daisy Okiring
The National Health Summit commenced today, Wednesday, 16 April, 2025, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, focusing on Kenya’s progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The summit aims to evaluate the country’s trajectory and explore viable solutions to enhance health care accessibility and quality for all Kenyans.
The World Health Organization’s recent 2023 global monitoring report highlighted a concerning trend, indicating that the world is falling behind in achieving UHC by 2030.
The summit serves as a platform to address persistent challenges, including the high burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases. While there has been progress in reducing maternal and child mortality rates, urgent attention is still required to tackle issues such as access to quality health care, affordability, and infrastructure limitations.
Health experts at the summit underscored the importance of inclusivity in health care, particularly for vulnerable populations. They raised concerns regarding resource constraints that hinder the effective implementation of UHC.
“Understanding UHC involves evaluating the services provided, their affordability, and who gets priority access,” explained a health expert. “We must determine how available and acceptable these services are, especially for people with disabilities and those living with HIV.”
Government is conducting needs assessment
In a bid to fast-track UHC, Principal Secretary for Health, Mary Modi, announced that the Ministry of Health is conducting a needs assessment across counties. This assessment aims to identify regions requiring specialist services and training, as well as improvements needed in health facilities to ensure Kenyans receive quality health care at affordable prices.
“It’s not that there is a lack of funding for health,” Modi clarified. “Often, budgets meant for health are reallocated for other purposes. We need legislation to safeguard these funds to ensure they are used as intended.”
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As the summit progresses, health experts have proposed several strategies to enhance the implementation of UHC. Recommendations include rebuilding trust in health systems, formally recruiting community health promoters, leveraging technology, and securing adequate funding for the prevention and treatment of diseases.
The National Health Summit 2025 is expected to foster critical discussions and generate actionable insights that will shape the future of health care in Kenya, bringing the nation closer to achieving its UHC goals by 2030.
