The Ministry of Health has embarked on various mitigation measures including public awareness and mapping out flood prone areas ahead of the expected El Nino rains.
While admitting that the country would face an outbreak of waterborne diseases, the ministry said there was enough medication and personnel to deal with any epidemic.
According to projections by the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre, the country will get heavy rains like those recorded in El Nino of 1997 and 2006.
To address this, Public Health PS Mary Muthoni said the ministry was working with other stakeholders to minimise the effects of the floods.
She said currently, counties were working in clearing drainage systems while identifying areas that in the past had been affected by floods.
“We are fully prepared for the incoming rains as the floods could lead to an increase in cases of diseases like cholera and diarrhea. We are up to task,” she said.
Muthoni added that the ongoing vaccination against polio and cholera was part of the government’s plans to mitigate the heavy rains.
“We have started public awareness by calling on families living near waterways or flood prone areas to relocate and to desist from dumping solid waste in drainage systems,” she said.
The PS was addressing the press in Lake Naivasha Resort after launching a workshop to upscale the Primary Health Care networks in the counties.
The PS said the government was restructuring the health service delivery system by shifting the emphasis from curative to preventive and promotive health care.
“This will help lower the nation’s disease burden and improve the overall livelihoods of Kenyans by providing an efficient integrated and high-quality affordable healthcare system,” she said.
To address health challenges, she said the government had initiated a structured plan between County governments for 100,000 community health promoters.
“The government is keen on progressive health financing models to increase the number of households with health insurance under the new social health insurance package,” she said.
Dr Salim Ali Hussein from the department of public health said the health networks would help foster integration of the health system and improve efficiency by providing care at the optimal level.
“The health networks are envisioned to create an efficient emergency referral system-up-downward referral while improving sharing of resources,” he said.
To promote healthcare, Salim said the government was keen to establish a national health procurement board for bulk purchasing of health products.
