KENYA – Kenya’s National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani has announced a KES146.8 billion (US$1.27B) allocation to the healthcare sector in the 2022/23 financial year out of which KES 62.3billion (US$540M) will cover the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Key UHC initiatives include the free maternity program which currently benefits over 1 million mothers annually, increasing the total number of health workers in the public and private sector investment and development of a digital health platform that effectively monitors the health sector.
The 2022/23 budget is estimated to cost KES3.31 trillion (US$29B) down by KES350 billion (US$3.03B) compared to the 2021/22 financial year whose estimates cost KES3.66 trillion (US$32B) out of which the health sector received KES121.1 billion (US$1.05B).
Cabinet Secretary Yatani disclosed that the 2022/2023 budget which approximately covers expenditure for the period between July 1st 2022 to June 31st 2023 was read two months earlier due to the General Elections slated for August 9th 2022.
Yatani said KES47.7 billion (US$410M) was allocated to fund activities and programmes for the attainment of Universal Health Coverage, KES7B(US$61M) to procure COVID-19 vaccines and the free maternity services programme received KES 4.1B (US$36M).
“Maintenance of equipment was allocated KES 5.2 billion (US$45M), medical cover for elderly and disabled persons received KES1.8 billion (US$16M) while KES16.2 billion (US$140M) was allocated for Malaria, AIDS and Tuberculosis,” read the 2022/2023 budget.
Furthermore, various hospitals across the country have also been allocated funds with the Kenyatta National Hospital being the biggest beneficiary after being allocated KES18.1 billion (US$160M).
“Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital has been allocated KES11.7 billion (US$100M), the Kenya Medical Training Center was allocated KES7.7 billion (US$67M) while the Kenya Medical Research Institute has been allocated KES2.9 billion (US$25M),” further read the budget.
Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani said KES1.1 billion (US$9.5M) was allocated for the Kenya National Hospital Burns and Pediatric Center and KES1.2 billion (US$10M) allocated for procurement of family planning and reproductive health care commodities.
“KES300 million (US$2.6M) has been allocated to CyberKnife radiotherapy equipment while KES1.3 billion (US$11M) was allocated to for the construction of Cancer Center at Kisi level 5 hospital,” added Yatani.
He further said that KES619 million (US$5.36M) has been allocated for the procurement of equipment at the national blood transfusion services.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani reaffirmed that the KES146.8 billion (US$1.27B) allocation will go a long way in improving the health care services in the country, noting that the government is committed towards the goal of achieving 100 percent health insurance coverage.
He pointed out that better health care outcomes depend on the availability, accessibility and capacity of health care workers to deliver quality services anchored on well-equipped and provision health care facilities.
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