CS health launches Sh1 billion diabetes project

Iten,

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

KNA by Alice Wanjiru

Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha has launched a Sh1 billion four-year project aimed at integrating diabetes and hypertension into the primary health care in the country.

The CS said the project funded by World Diabetes Fund marked a major milestone in the management and care of diabetes patients saying it was timely as the country strengthens its primary health care services.

Speaking at the Iten county referral hospital during celebrations to mark World Diabetes Day on Tuesday, the CS said the funds will go towards capacity building community health promoters(CHPS) to ensure they undertake proper testing of diabetes.

Noting that diabetes can be managed with the right treatment, the CS regretted that out of the four million people living with diabetes in the country, only 40 percent are on treatment while majority of Kenyans have never had their sugar levels checked and therefore the importance of training CHPs to test at household level.

Nakhumicha added that all CHPs have been sensitised on the importance of referring patients to hospitals saying doctors shouldn’t worry that their jobs are at risk.

Noting that dialysis was not sustainable due to exorbitant costs, the CS said her ministry was sensitising people with kidney failure especially those still young to go for kidney transplant saying under the Social Health Insurance Act, the insurance will be paying for kidney transplant including pre and post care services.

She hailed partners for their role in management of diabetes saying the country has so far established six centres of excellence for diabetes in the country which act as regional hubs in offering comprehensive care and also act as learning centres.

 The CS added that the ministry was focusing on the management of children and adolescents whom she said bore the brunt of the disease saying so far they were offering insulin and other supplies to 4,000 patients.

She however said though donors are key in the management of health, they should ensure that they align their programmes with government priorities saying some donors were shuttling health personnel from one seminar to another which ends up affecting delivery of services.

 “Some donors have been taking our doctors from one seminar to another such that its hard to find a doctor to attend to patients as she/he is in seminars for days on end,” she said.

The CS pledged to work with all governors in ensuring improved delivery of health services adding that the paper work for the payment of stipends to CHPs was ready and was only awaiting signing.

The area governor Wisley Rotich called on the ministry to assist the county in equipping the dialysis unit saying the county has only 5 dialysis machines with Iten County Referral Hospital receiving 2,000 cases of diabetes annually.

The function was also attended by the Director General Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, WDF senior director Sanne Helt and Elgeyo Marakwet county commissioner John Korir among others.

Courtesy; KNA