Kenya's state of Healthcare
When this nation gained independence, the founding fathers dedicated themselves to ensuring that we will take three things head on, the three being diseases, illiteracy n food insecurity to ensure Kenya as a nation will be self sustaining and populated with citizens who are health, well educated and free from hunger.
But unfortunately fifty plus years after this decree was made, things haven't moved one inch, we are still holding onto the promise.
One wonders what came of the much hyped promise, was it that the resources were never made available or the dream was replaced by other concerns?
Failing to breath life into the promise has seen Kenya degenerate into abyss as manifested by our broken healthcare.
Kenya and the rest of Africa is said to be home to the 97% of the global disease burden but unfortunately has less than three percent of the global health care personnel and one wonders why this is the situation.
Even if we were to incrementally upgrade our healthcare situation, we would have made much stride, but as we speak Kenya has got only one giant but leaping major referral facility in the name kenyatta national hospital which is heavily stressed because of the unimaginable workload and therefore not playing it other functions of research and education well.
That leaves us in a complexity where development and research is pushed to the periphery and the long term consequences of personal shortages because the training and production of experts is not keeping pace with the ever ballooning population.
This sorry state of affairs has seen Kenya queue at the exorbitantly priced private facility and the well to do flying out to seek medication in western country, but this privilege is only available to the well to do, therefore the question which beg the answer is what will the poor and the downtrodden do even the sorry state of affairs
Kenyan have always religiously paid their taxes but not feeling the impact of their tax, because the policy master are failing them.
No wonder Kenya is amongst the nation where one can easily succumb to the most basic of disease in this 21st century when the rest of the world has got rid of some common ailments.
Were it not for the private sector and the faith based medical facility, Kenya would have actually been classified as the most diseased but thanks God, alternative are always there to rescue us, but it's about ministry of health and other relevant stakeholders should wake up from their deep slumber to reawaken our independence dreams.
When this nation gained independence, the founding fathers dedicated themselves to ensuring that we will take three things head on, the three being diseases, illiteracy n food insecurity to ensure Kenya as a nation will be self sustaining and populated with citizens who are health, well educated and free from hunger.
But unfortunately fifty plus years after this decree was made, things haven't moved one inch, we are still holding onto the promise.
One wonders what came of the much hyped promise, was it that the resources were never made available or the dream was replaced by other concerns?
Failing to breath life into the promise has seen Kenya degenerate into abyss as manifested by our broken healthcare.
Kenya and the rest of Africa is said to be home to the 97% of the global disease burden but unfortunately has less than three percent of the global health care personnel and one wonders why this is the situation.
Even if we were to incrementally upgrade our healthcare situation, we would have made much stride, but as we speak Kenya has got only one giant but leaping major referral facility in the name kenyatta national hospital which is heavily stressed because of the unimaginable workload and therefore not playing it other functions of research and education well.
That leaves us in a complexity where development and research is pushed to the periphery and the long term consequences of personal shortages because the training and production of experts is not keeping pace with the ever ballooning population.
This sorry state of affairs has seen Kenya queue at the exorbitantly priced private facility and the well to do flying out to seek medication in western country, but this privilege is only available to the well to do, therefore the question which beg the answer is what will the poor and the downtrodden do even the sorry state of affairs
Kenyan have always religiously paid their taxes but not feeling the impact of their tax, because the policy master are failing them.
No wonder Kenya is amongst the nation where one can easily succumb to the most basic of disease in this 21st century when the rest of the world has got rid of some common ailments.
Were it not for the private sector and the faith based medical facility, Kenya would have actually been classified as the most diseased but thanks God, alternative are always there to rescue us, but it's about ministry of health and other relevant stakeholders should wake up from their deep slumber to reawaken our independence dreams.
Brother, sometimes I fail to understand this nation. But anyway, God help
ReplyDeleteindeed, i get your frustration but don't you think we are also to blame as the citizens of this country because we've allowed ourselves to be taken for granted.
DeleteBut how many people can afford the private medical facilities? A heads up to the faith based medical care, they have really gone out of their way to bring services to the common mwananchi.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteBut you see we can't heap all the blame on the private entities in the medical business, they saw the gap and purpose to fully exploit it because the unfortunate situation of our hospitals and medical facilities will ultimately force us to go there.
DeleteAll the blames should be directed to the government.
It is sad Diblog! Very sad.... But I think like my fellow political activist Boniface Mwangi once said, Kenyans are not yet angry enough to change things.... Why do we have such a discriminatory healthcare system? That elected leaders have very high quality medical services financed by taxpayers while the taxpayers themselves suffer? Do they see these things??
ReplyDeleteIt was said, the society gets the leaders they deserved, we are in this shit because of our own inadequacy but then again isn't it hypocrisy of the highest order for our leaders to exploit our ignorance.
DeleteThere is a reasons they are our leaders n therefore tasked with the duty of responsibly leading us.
As a country we need to do more..this is quite some thing
ReplyDeleteAs we speak, isiolo county's only general had it door closed because of lacking the general supplies.
DeleteKemsa refused to supply them with the requisite material because of the outstanding Bill's.
Read the piece and Buju's song came out o mind... destruction of the poor is in his poverty! Remember Bob Marley's song Redemption.. emancipate yourselves from mental slavery none BUT OURSELVES ...until the day we tire, nothing will change.
ReplyDeleteAm telling you, we are in this state of affairs because we aren't angry enough and unless we get tired of their shenanigans, nothing will ever move.
DeleteI believe the state is in a position to make our health facilities meet international health standards but corruption cannot allow . In embu CT Scan machine vanished from the hospital, soliciting bribe by private hospitals to get drugs from KEMSA, doctors stealing expensive medicines from hospital they work taking them to their clinics. If the government can deal with this monster every sector will improve including health.
ReplyDeleteCorruption indeed is the biggest impediment to everything in Kenya.
DeleteEverywhere we go, cutting of deals and pilfering of the public resources seems to be the order of the day.
Nevertheless millions of Kenyans suffer slot and they are the most taxed
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately
ReplyDelete