Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has assured development partners of the government’s resolve to
eliminate fragmentation in the health sector through full digitisation.
Speaking at a high-level
consultative meeting in Nairobi on Tuesday, the CS emphasised that health systems must be
coordinated through the Digital Health Agency.
"All health systems, existing and new, must be certified and coordinated through the Digital Health Agency, as outlined in the Digital Health Act and its regulations,’’ Duale said.
Duale said digitisation will enhance service delivery, enable telemedicine, track and trace health products to end users, and ensure only qualified professionals provide care.
He added that through digitisation they would be building a digital framework that will ensure sustainability.
“We are building an integrated digital framework to align donor support with national goals and ensure long-term sustainability,” he said.
The CS also briefed Development Partners for Health in Kenya (DPHK) on Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) progress.
UHC is built on six key pillars: publicly financed primary health care, a rights-based social health
insurance model, transparent digital health systems, strengthened emergency and
referral services, sustainable health commodity security, and a motivated,
well-distributed workforce.
He underscored the
need for coordinated efforts, aligned investments, and joint accountability,
which he termed essential for effective health delivery.
Duale’s commitment to institutionalising the existing partnership framework will be based on the principles of 'one national plan, one budget, and one monitoring and evaluation framework'.
DPHK Chair Serawit Bruck-Landais reaffirmed support for Kenya’s UHC priorities under the
Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
Duale thanked
DPHK for their role in policy dialogue, financing, technical expertise, and
capacity building, and called for structured alignment to replace fragmented
goodwill.
The meeting also
reflected on key areas, including KEMSA reforms, expenditure tracking, resource
mapping and mobilization, and outbreak response strengthening.
During his appearance
before a Senate Delegation Legislation Committee, Duale on April 4, 2025, assured
Kenyans that the health system is safe and seeks to unify patients' records
“I would like to
assure Kenyans that their health data will be safe with the health data
controllers implementing secure network infrastructure,” Duale said.
The CS disclosed said the infrastructure is permeated
with firewalls, intrusion detection systems and vulnerability assessments.
