and border entry points that have seen
virtual lockdown and curfew imposed.
One can only imagine the catastrophic
effect that an outbreak of Coronavirus
would have presently due to our limited
capacity to locally produce essential
medical supplies, and our unplanned,
congested
and
despicable
urban
settlements.
Finally, the country’s growing population
needs to have adequate food supply that is
also nutritious to promote healthy living
that can support development of a healthy
economy.
Agriculture was once the backbone of the
Kenyan economy. While its significance
cannot be overemphasized, agriculture
accounts for 30% of the GDP and a
further 65% of Kenya’s exports, and yet
many Kenyans still lack access to healthy
foods.
To achieve 100% Universal Health Care,
Kenya must not only feed itself, but feed
itself well to ensure the citizenry do not
slide to poor health on the premise of
deficiency in essential nutrients.
The most urgent
thing the government
must do is to acceler-
ate and help scale up
the manufacturing
sector by promoting
development of local
industries that man-
ufacture drugs and
provision of an en-
abling environment
to support growth of
existing small man-
ufacturers to boost
their local output.
According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), ensuring optimum
nutrition at each stage of a person’s life
is the foundation of attaining universal
health coverage. WHO further states that
nutrition is the foundation for health and
well-being as a key element of primary
health care playing an essential role in
prevention, which is better than cure.
If advancements can be made in the
pillars of manufacturing, food security
and affordable housing, all Kenyans will
be able to receive affordable health care
without the risk of financial catastrophe.
In order to ensure that quality healthcare
services are being offered to Kenyans,
the government must accelerate Kenya’s
intentions of being a globally competitive
and prosperous nation.
However, attaining Universal Health
Care will entail deliberately advancing all
key pillars of the Big Four Agenda owing
to the delicate inter-dependency of each.
The writer is a healthcare and
management consultant. You can
commune with him on this or related
matters via email at: Gordon@
gordonodundo.com.