In line with the prioritisation of health as a key human need, prevention has proven to be an effective means to mitigate and cushion against the adverse effects of disease outbreaks and pandemics.
Judging by statistics from the recent past, however, a lot still needs to be done to achieve the desired deliverables in terms of reducing preventable deaths from illness and accidents.
Chapter 43 of the Constitution guarantees every Kenyan the right to the highest attainable preventive, promotive and curative health standards.
The centrality of preventive health is extremely important in the front towards, for example, the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs)—including a number of cancers and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, which cause as many as 41 million (71 per cent) of the annual global deaths.
That notwithstanding, maternal mortality ratios may continue growing to large numbers. Kenya’s maternal mortality rate, by 2015 estimates, was about 510 deaths per 100,000 live births.
The sad part about losing so many people to these catastrophes is that they were, on a larger scale, preventable in the first place through efforts such as immunisation, disaster preparation and advocacy for health promotion. Multiple efforts have been put in place to mitigate these issues but most of them fall in the late stages of curative health, where the financial strain is also felt.
Noble initiatives such as the Linda Mama programme and the Beyond Zero Campaign have seen maternal deaths fall significantly.
However, more of these need to be initiated and supported with stringent measures against corruption and impunity gobbling up the efforts to minimise out-of-pocket expenditure for the ordinary citizen. That will strengthen our public health and restore belief in it.
The Ministry of Health ought to strengthen preventive health and assign responsibilities in such a way that tracking them is possible.
Preventive health is more cost-effective and eases extra resources spent on curative health to be spread out.
