Nairobians to benefit from improved health services
The World Bank says 39.5 million Kenyans have benefited from improved health and nutritional services. The services are provided by the Government with support of the World Bank and other development partners.
More than half the beneficiaries are female, according to the Ministry of Health.
“The joint efforts of the Government and the Bank through the Kenya Health Sector Support Project have enabled us make significant progress towards achieving universal health coverage, with priority focus on the needy,” said James Macharia, the Cabinet secretary for Health.
“This project has strengthened the capacity of health systems in all counties and shifted attention to results which will help Kenya achieve the health Millennium Development Goals.”
World Bank approved $100 (Sh8.5 billion) for the project in June 2010 and another $56.8 million (Sh4.8 billion) in December 2011.
An additional $41 million (Sh3.5 billion) was approved in December 2013. The additional International Development Agency (IDA) credit was on top of $20 million (1.7 billion) grant from the Health Results Innovation Trust Fund, which is supported by the UK and Norway.
The funding has improved delivery of services, especially to the poor by raising efficiency of planning, procurement and management of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.
The Government is expected to sustain health and nutrition services for 35 million people by 2016. Half of the beneficiaries will be women, 16 per cent of them in drought-prone areas.