County Health
Delivering the health promise, towards a healthy nation
Mothers waiting for consultation at a health clinic
Most people would agree with the idea that all individuals should have access to health services and should not face financial hardship as a result of health care costs. Universal health coverage( UHC), the concept that encompasses these goals, has gained wide attention and support in recent years.
The goals of universal health coverage( UHC) are to ensure that all people can access quality health services, to safeguard all people from public health risks, and to protect all people from impoverishment due to illness, whether from out-of-pocket payments for health
care or loss of income when a household member falls sick.
Countries as diverse as Brazil, France, Japan, Thailand, and Turkey that have achieved UHC are showing how these programs can serve as vital mechanisms for improving the health and welfare of their citizens, and lay the foundation for economic growth and competitiveness grounded in the principles of equity and sustainability. Ensuring universal access to affordable, quality health services will be an important contribution to ending extreme poverty by 2030 and boosting shared prosperity in low income and middle-income countries, where most of the world’ s poor live
Four years ago the Government of Kenya focused public attention on the need for health system reform— to improve access to health facilities, increase the number of facilities and equipment, provide free maternity services, combat and manage major causes of illness in mothers and children, utilize ICT to enhance health service delivery and accelerate attainment of Universal Health Coverage( UHC) through reforms in NHIF.
52 November-December 2016