President William Ruto is presiding over the Kenya Health Summit, which opened in Nairobi this Tuesday, bringing together key sector stakeholders to review the nation’s transition toward Universal Health Coverage.

The two-day event, taking place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre under the theme “Reforms Delivered: Health as a Right”, gathers representatives from national and county governments, regulatory bodies, development partners, and health professionals.

Speaking on morning show Rise and Shine, Dennis Beru, Journalist and Team Leader at Grassroots Journalism Kenya, highlighted that the summit offers the government a platform to showcase major healthcare milestones under its Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

“This will give the government an opportunity to highlight the progress of health sector reforms and hear concerns about the healthcare sector from various stakeholders,” Beru said during his East Africa roundup. “The summit will actually be trying to showcase how these achievements and plans have been achieved by the national government, especially through the transition from the old healthcare system to the new system, where most of the Kenyans have been accessing free healthcare services.”

Central to the discussions is Kenya’s overhaul of its health insurance framework, which saw the retirement of the National Hospital Insurance Fund in favour of the Social Health Authority. According to Beru, discussions will also focus on healthcare financing, primary care, digital health systems, and maternal and child health.

Among the achievements being highlighted by the Ministry of Health is the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority reaching a medical supply fill rate of over 80%, alongside the expansion of specialised services through the National Equipment Service Programme.

Officials will also update delegates on digital health initiatives aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability across county and national health networks.

–ChannelAfrica–