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National High Level Dialog on Health Financing

 

MEDIA BRIEF

Salutations!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen

This media briefing comes ahead of the National High-Level Health Financing Dialogue in Kenya, which is a follow up of recommendations of the 32nd AU Summit in 2019, where 52 heads of state ratified the “Addis Ababa Commitment toward Shared Responsibility and Global Solidarity for Increased Health Financing Declaration” – otherwise known as Africa Leadership Meeting (ALM) Declaration.

The ALM is supported by four health financing pillars which will be discussed throughout the dialogue:

1.       More Money for Health: Increasing domestic resources for health.

2.       More Health for the Money: Improving how domestic resources for health are invested.

3.       Equity: Improving access to health services and reducing the financial burden of accessing healthcare

4.       Governance: Increasing coordination within and between government ministries, private sector, and partners on domestic health financing.

Ladies and Gentlemen

As part of the implementation of the ALM, the AU has given the mandate to regional economic communities to support member states in holding National Health Financing Dialogues. The East African Community (EAC) is the regional economic community responsible for supporting the Government of Kenya in implementing the ALM Agenda including the National Health Financing Dialogue.

 

Such financing dialogues serve as national platforms to discuss, build consensus, and identify ways to support domestic health financing priorities, by bringing together important national and international stakeholders including the: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs), Council of Governors, parliamentarians, Civil Society Organizations, private sector as well as development partners to discuss domestic health financing.

Ladies and Gentlemen

Kenya will become the third country in Africa, and the first in East Africa, to convene such a dialogue after similar dialogues were held in Malawi and Zambia. The Kenyan government has long recognized the importance of investment in health evidenced by the gradual increase in governments contribution to the financing of healthcare services over the past 10 years from 33% in 2012/13 to 52% in 2018/19. We are not there yet. The dialogue will be an important opportunity for Kenya to identify priority areas to improve on how it can achieve targets set within the health financing strategy through aligned partner and private sector priorities.

       The dialogue will entail discussions on:

1.      How different stakeholders can align their priorities to the Government priorities in health financing, specifically focusing on the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda;

2.      Strengthening the health financing system in Kenya through increased domestic

3.      resource mobilization

4.      Coherence of investment in health to maximize impact and address key health priorities

5.      The private sector for innovative and sustainable healthcare financing solutions

6.      Utilizing health financing data for evidence- based decision-making

7.      Enhancing national health financing systems for improved efficiency and effectiveness

 

During the dialogue, experts will present research findings on Kenya’s health financing system; policymakers will discuss strategies to address challenges; and partners will present on how they can support Kenya with improving domestic health financing.

Ladies and Gentlemen

The commitment of the Government of Kenya to achieving universal health coverage through investment in primary health care will require significant domestic health financing reforms, that will see a major paradigm shift from investing in largely curative care, to investment in preventive care. This approach is not only cost effective but ensures that the human capital is constantly operating at optimal capacity.

The various stakeholder groups have therefore developed recommendations and commitments on domestic health financing which are being consolidated into a country position paper. The position paper will inform the implementation plan that will turn the dialogue into action.

Ladies and Gentlemen

The Government of Kenya intends to fulfill the following outcomes, more-so in the post-dialogue period as we gear towards the AU meeting scheduled for October 2023 where member states will take stock of the various achievements against the ALM commitments

1.      Clearly identified priority health financing reforms areas in line with the Kenya health financing strategy

2.      Progressive and sustainably increasing Domestic Resource Mobilization in alignment to ALM declarations and SDGs in the short, medium to long term

3.      Strengthened national leadership and political support for the ALM agenda

4.      Platform for increased peer to peer learning through the EAC Health Financing Hub that will be the nexus for practical and technical support to all partner states on health financing

5.      Increased evidence on the health financing landscape of Kenya

6.      Established national consensus on priority action plans for increased, sustained domestic investments in health and enhanced development partner and private sector alignment on domestic health financing priorities

 

The Kenyan Ministry of Health will host this dialogue from the 26th to 28th of June 2023 at Safari Park Hotel. June 28th is designated for high level discussions where His excellency the President of Kenya Dr William S. Ruto will be in attendance.

You are all most welcome to witness and participate in the dialogue discussion

 

~Asanteni~