Duale: Health Summit to review Ruto’s record, set priorities for remaining term

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale/ FILE

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale says the first Kenya Health Summit will be used to assess the progress made in the health sector under President William Ruto’s administration and set out priorities for the remaining years of the government.

Duale said the two-day summit, scheduled for August 18 and 19 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, will bring together patients, healthcare workers, professional associations, private and faith-based hospitals, leaders and members of the public to review the state of the country’s health system.

He said the government would use the summit to present data on what has been achieved over the past four years while also confronting challenges that continue to affect healthcare delivery.

“Between the August 18 and 19, we will showcase physically and electronically the achievements of this administration the last four years within the healthcare system. So we will showcase our achievements and we will give numbers and data,” Duale said.

The Cabinet secretary said the summit would go beyond presenting government achievements, with participants expected to examine gaps in the health system and identify opportunities for improving access and quality of care.

Duale said the government also intends to use the discussions to develop a roadmap covering the remaining two to three years of Vision 2030 and consider the role of health in the proposed Vision 2060 development framework.

“We will show the challenges that we faced and where we are, and we will provide the country with a roadmap of the two years or three years remaining for Vision 2030, and where is the place of health in the new Vision 2060,” he said.

The summit will also provide a platform for Kenyans to contribute to discussions on the future of healthcare, with Duale saying the government wants to hear directly from those who use and provide health services.

He said the discussions would include patients, healthcare providers, professional associations, political leaders and ordinary citizens.

“We want to listen to patients, we want to listen to healthcare providers, we want to listen to healthcare professional associations, and the whole, we want to listen to leaders,” Duale said.

A key feature of the summit will be a town hall discussion expected to be moderated by President Ruto, with Duale saying the session could run for several hours as participants discuss the health of the country.

He linked improvements in healthcare to wider economic and social outcomes, saying a healthier population would be better positioned to attend school, work and contribute to economic growth.

The summit will also bring together private, public and faith-based Level Six hospitals, which Duale said would have an opportunity to showcase their services and capabilities.

The Cabinet secretary said Kenya’s ambition should extend beyond improving domestic healthcare, with the government seeking to position the country as a leading destination for health services and medical tourism in Africa.

Duale said the discussions would therefore examine both the progress already made and the opportunities available to strengthen the health sector in the coming years.

The summit comes as the government seeks to advance its health transformation agenda while developing longer-term national priorities beyond Vision 2030.