Top health regulator, the Kenya Health Professions Oversight Authority (KHPOA) has launched its first strategic plan for the period of 2023 to 2027.
The plan focuses on health professional regulation, right to health, health service delivery, strategic information, research and innovation and institutional capacity development.
The regulator, formed by the Health Act, said the plan was developed through extensive stakeholder collaboration, the strategic plan aims to create a responsive, inclusive, and patient-centered healthcare system.
Health and Professional Standards PS Mary Muthoni Muriuki, who spoke at the launch, stressed on the importance of oversight to ensure quality health services.
“I am not adequate enough without you to fully understand what exactly happens on the ground or within each regulatory body your involvement is essential to ensure that management and secretaries are diligently collecting information from various regulatory bodies and providing us with clear direction.”
She added: “This will enable the State Department to plan more effectively by setting and upholding stringent standards, the Kenya Health Professionals Oversight Authority plays a critical role in safeguarding the integrity, competence, and professionalism of healthcare practitioners, ultimately enhancing the quality and safety of healthcare services nationwide.”
KHPOA was formed through the Health Act 21 of 2017 to oversight health services nationwide.
The PS said the strategic plan was a step in the right direction. She said there was need for a collaborative effort to ensure implementation thus ensuring a sustainable health outcome for all Kenyans.
“When we discuss quality of care, standards, affordability, and availability, it is all encompassed here, and we must have someone to coordinate. We need someone to regulate and oversee these efforts. While we may have many regulatory bodies, without proper oversight, our goals cannot be fully achieved this where KHPOA comes in,” she said.
In its plan KHPOA identified certain Strategic issues including uncoordinated and conflicting health professional regulations.
KHPOA chairman Dr Amit Thakker said meticulous research and effort that went into the strategic plan and that it will help the organization overcome its weaknesses.
He echoed the PS’s sentiments on the importance of oversight and their role as an organization to ensure that every Kenya has the best possible health outcome.
“Development of this strategic plan has been an incredible and meticulous endeavor. Considering both the macro and micro operating environments that influence organization.
"Inspiration from global health frameworks such as the World Health Organizations Essential Health Pillars and Africa’s Agenda 2063, our plan is firmly anchored in the pursuit of sustainable health outcomes for all Kenyans.”
The KHPOA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Jackson Kioko termed the plan as a critical operational tool that symbolizes the commitment to transform the healthcare landscape in the country.
“The agency is dedicated to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and accountability and quality of care to the public,” Kioko said.
The authority’s functions include maintaining a duplicate register of all health professionals working within the national and county health system.
It also promotes and regulates inter-professional liaison between statutory regulatory bodies, and conducting joint inspections with them.
The body also receives and facilitates the resolution of complaints from patients, aggrieved parties and regulatory bodies.
It also ensures the necessary standards for health professionals are not compromised, and monitors the execution of respective mandates and functions of regulatory bodies recognized under an Act of Parliament.