Unlocking possibilities in Africa's Health Care Sector begins with leadership that is committed and responsible. Talents are there - But institutional framework, policies and standards of practice are needed to create the next generation of leaders in Health Care. This is a reality Kenya must embrace as is for the rest of Africa.
Alma Ata declaration of 1978 for availability of Primary health care world wide has relatively worked for Kenya in terms of quantity of health care delivery. The declaration, however, ignored critical aspects of health care delivery such as quality of care and equity. Access to health care for all advocated in the declaration is scantly evident in many parts of Kenya. The GCG promotes quality of health care initiatives through advocacy for quality assurance processes, equity and access
GCG works with health care professionals, organizations, Health Care institutions, Government institutions, human right groups and volunteers
to promote health and health care services.
Diseases and ailments prevalent in Africa can significantly be minimized or even eradicated by the establishment, execution and delivery of a comprehensive Health Care reform emphasising quality, equity and access. These diseases include Tuberculosis (TB), Malaria, Diarrohoeal diseases, malnutrition, immunizable diseases and maternal/infant mortalities.
The very basic steps towards forging improved health care in Africa begins with;
I.
Policy makers acknowledging the need and strongly pursuing health policies that poisitively impact their consittuents and calling for revision of existing policies to match today's complex and changing health care.
II. Leaders in health profession, professional associations, health boards and health care companies to take a leading role in initiatives that increase access, quality and equity. On the same note, they must be able to establish a health advisory council independent of government that works collaboratively with policy makers. Such council will create a health reform blueprint with support and input from both public and private health care sectors. The council and sponsoring policy makers will ensure that such policies are passed, implemented and delivered.
III. Human Right organizations must recognize that equity, access and quality of health care is basic human right and must take initiatives that will harness just distribution, fair and favorable policies and practically implementable processes.
IV. Humanitarian Organizations involved in health care, WHO (World Health Org.) and UN (United Nations) to continue supporting locally made policies and initiatives that are practical to the social realities of the people.
Travellers Links - Resources
Kenya Health Profile by WHO
Ministry of Health - Kenya
Kenya Travel Health guide
Health Info for Travellers to Kenya
CDC Travel Guide for Kenya
Health Related Links
Health Care in Africa - Who benefits?
Health Care in Africa - options to improve
Health Care in Africa - Future
ACCESS TO HEALTH
On the table: whereas Central
region has a total 190 doctors and a doctor-patient ratio of
1:20,715 , North Eastern region has only 9 doctors with a ratio
of 1: 120,823 .
In terms of health
institutions, a similar pattern is seen: Nairobi , followed
by Rift Valley Province, has the least population per health
facility while North Eastern has the highest population to health facility. There are numerous refugee settlements in Northern Kenya, not included in the table above, whose access to health care is almost none.
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VACCINATIONS
In Central Province 79% of all
children have had their recommended vaccinations compared to
only 9% in North Eastern Province, again not even including the refugee population.
Source: 2003 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey. Figures in
brackets are based on 25-49 unweighted cases (pulling Apart 22). (BACK
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TB on the News: North Eastern provice
Source: East Af. Std 3/15/2005
Visit Garissa, Mandera, Ijara and Wajir district hospitals and all you will hear are racking coughs along the corridors. The disease knows no age or gender since children as well as men and women are all casualties.
Medics attribute the prevalence of the deadly disease to ignorance and most of all, the lifestyle of the local communities.
The Somali are a close-knit community, whose members like sharing almost everything including meals.
Efforts by local medics to reduce the prevalence rate of the third largest killer disease in sub-Saharan Africa have largely been fruitless.
However, they have since established that some cultural practices by the community have been fuelling the spread of the highly contagious disease.
Mr Jamal Mohammed, the Wajir District TB co-ordinator who is also the clinical officer in charge of the local TB manyattas, says the culture of sharing meals from a single plate is a conduit for transmission.
"TB is mainly spread through contact with saliva droplets from an infected person and sharing food from the same plate definitely contributes to the spread of the disease," he says.
This is the reason why it is very common to find a whole extended family suffering from TB. "You can successfully treat a TB patient today but after eight months, he or she comes, back having contracted the disease mostly from family members," says Mohammed.
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