LREB counties make strides in Universal Healthcare through digitization

By Robert Mutasi 

The Lake Region Economic Bloc counties have been making key strides in the quest for Universal Health Coverage , with Kisumu County through digitisation of its community health system leading in this cause. 

Speaking during an LREB event, LREB Chairman and Kisumu Governor, Prof. Anyang Nyong'o says primary health care and innovative financing in health is important in the quest to strike a balance in attaining UHC.

"I am a firm believer that primary health is an engine for universal healthcare, and that creating innovative health financing arrangements is quite significantly important if progress is to be attained towards UHC," Nyong'o said. 

He called for focused interventions to cut out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures, which he said was one of the greatest deterrents to access to health in Kenya, especially in vulnerable populations.

Nyong'o emphasized the need to have a near-accurate population data to effectively target the most vulnerable groups.

"A near-accurate population profile ensures that you focus on the vulnerable to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure," he said, adding that such informed data-driven approaches to healthcare delivery are of the essence.

The Governor was grateful for the partnership between Kisumu and Living Goods, a nonprofit organization that supports digital health programs in low-income communities.

He added that through this, Kisumu County had completely digitized its community health system, something he was confident would have lasting impacts on healthcare delivery in the region.

"I am proud to report that out of our mutually beneficial partnership with Living Goods, Kisumu County has achieved complete digitization of the community health system," Nyong'o stated.

This digitization has simplified the collection and management of health data for monitoring and resource allocation, respectively.

Looking ahead, Nyong'o shared his ambitious future plans for healthcare in Kisumu and other LREB counties.

"It is in our vision that in the next three years, all our digital platforms will be contributing toward county health information-giving insights from descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics," he added.

This could make all the difference in making healthcare more efficient and qualitatively superior.

In these efforts, Nyong'o believes that healthcare will be more accessible, productive, and personalized for the people of Kisumu and beyond.