Kenya's devolved health system to improve health outcomes: WB expert

A World Bank (WB) expert said on Friday Kenya's devolved health care system is likely to lead to improved health indicators.

Khama Rogo, World Bank Lead Health Specialist, told Xinhua in Nairobi that devolving the provision of health care services improves accountability.

"The health authorities are now closer to the patients than before, and so are able to respond to the needs more efficiently," Rogo said during the launch of a guide to implementing health as a devolved function.

Kenya began devolving its health sector after the 2013 general elections following the promulgation of a new constitution in 2010.

As a result, Kenya's 47 county governments are now responsible for the provision of health care services while the national government is in charge of policy formulation.

Rogo said that by transferring functions of health services to the county government, Kenya is able to improve its supervision of health faculties and workers.

"If something goes wrong at a local health facility, the health authorities will know the same day and are able to take corrective action immediately," he said.

Rogo, who is also the Head of World Bank's Health in Africa Initiative, said that the healthcare sector is supervision intensive.

He noted that despite the progress achieved, there still remains a challenge in Kenya health sector.

"The county governments face hurdles in accessing the required funds in a timely manner from the national government," he said.

The health sector has also experienced a lot of strikes as health personnel prefer to work for the national government.

Rogo said that Kenya can borrow lessons from other nations that have successfully devolved the health function.

"Since each country has unique conditions, Kenya should adapt and modify any borrowed system for effective results," he said. Enditem