Every fortnight, I am roped into WhatsApp groups coordinating fundraisers to settle medical bills.
I am certain one in every two Kenyans identifies with my experiences; what with millions of Kenyans being driven into the abyss of poverty thanks to terminal illnesses, preventable diseases that deplete their income forcing them to sell their property to meet their medical needs.
This March, I visited Kabarnet Level 5 Hospital to see a dentist but I left without being attended to. The dental clinic had neither the equipment nor the drugs required for the smooth running of the facility. This scenario was replicated throughout other departments.
A dentist needs more than the dentist's chair to perform his/her functions. A midwife cannot work effectively armed with nothing but gloves.
In spite of billions poured into our level 5 hospitals, they are not performing optimally. Many questions linger about where these monies go once they hit the counties’ coffers.
One would say the hospitals are not prioritised in the counties' list of budgetary needs. Most of the counties’ funds go to wage bills and nonsensical benchmarking trips abroad tailor-made to line bottomless pockets of greedy leaders.
On December 1 last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta gave hope to more than three million Kenyans in four counties that they would start enjoying excellent health services in public hospitals. This was after he launched one of his legacy’s flagship agenda, universal healthcare.
But if the sad reports of the last few months are anything to go by, then the much-publicised UHC is dead on arrival.
The four counties have been experiencing acute shortage of drugs as patients suffer. If the pilot projects have failed, imagine the disaster that awaits the full rollout.
The commodity security through the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority is not working. The government needs to rethink the approach of achieving UHC. Removal of charges in public hospitals is not enough to make UHC a success.
UHC will be a pipedream if patients in public hospitals are forced to look for drugs from elsewhere because the pharmacies are empty. In fact, getting basic drugs such as panadol is an uphill task. Let’s not even shine the spotlight on oncology products or diabetes. Kidney failure patients are on their own because renal dialysis drugs exist in the imaginations of policymakers.
Kenya is one of the 179 countries that committed to the ICPD Programme of Action following Cairo94 Conference in Egypt. POA is the steering document for the United Nations Population Fund.
Issues that took centre-stage in Cairo 25 years ago today are central to UHC. Infant and maternal mortality rates, birth control and family planning were central to the widely covered conference. But where is Kenya 25 years later on these point of actions?
We normally go one step forward and three steps backwards.
Between November 12 and 14, Nairobi will be hosting ICPD25 themed 'Accelerating the promises' to rally the fast-tracking of the implementation of POA through political will and financial commitments by member countries.
Although things are not that rosy, it is imperative that Kenya stays the course by setting up working mechanisms to achieve POA. This is imperative in order to sustain gains made for the past 25 years.
Kenya is making headways in some of the promises but we are not moving at a pace that gives hope to citizens.
Eighty per cent of Kenyans rely on public health facilities but they are disadvantaged because they don’t access the health services they need. This causes unnecessary deaths, the most affected being mothers and children.
Access to reproductive health services for our youth and women are rights that they should enjoy as part of UHC.
It would be foolhardy to think of services such as family planning in public hospitals if common cold medicines are missing.
The government must accelerate the implementation and funding of the ICPD POA and Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. It must intensify for zero preventable maternal and infant deaths.
By doing this Uhuru will be fulfilling ICPD promises to commitments Kenya made in 1994 to build inclusive societies where everybody, irrespective of their position, feel valued.
