Kenya Healthcare

The cancer burden has left a heavy socioeconomic strain on individuals, households, and entire communities through the loss of productivity, cost of care and numerous premature deaths. Cancer is the second highest leading cause of death in Kenya and affected patients are often forced to seek cheaper treatments outside the country.

 In July 2020, the Government of Kenya (GoK) announced the opening of ten county chemotherapy centers as part of deliberate efforts to improve access to cancer services in line with the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) developmental agenda. Besides the ten centers, the Ministry has also operationalized the Kenyatta University Teaching Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) and is in the process of establishing five additional radiotherapy centers at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH),  as well as smaller referral hospitals in Nakuru, Mombasa, Garissa, and Kisii counties.

Current initiatives to support cancer management by the Government of Kenya (GOK) include the Managed Equipment Service (MES), through which level four and five hospitals were equipped with various hi-tech diagnostic machines such as X-ray, CT-SCAN, ultrasound and mammography machines, to the counties to boost cancer diagnosis. The government has also provided the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for girls aged ten to prevent cervical cancer. 

The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) is the lead government procurement agency for all medical products. KEMSA is charged with undertaking bulk procurement of cancer commodities, leveraging on economies of scale to allow negotiations on better pricing. The proposed amendment of the Public Procurement Act of 2015 will allow KEMSA to engage directly with manufacturers. Full utilization of the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) flexibilities can also improve availability and affordability of cancer medical products.

The Government of Kenya’s (GOK) Managed Equipment Services (MES program seeks to address some of the challenges associated with the high cost of procurement of radiotherapy and other diagnostic equipment. The government has allocated a development fund for improving cancer infrastructure in Kenya, as well as financing for the operationalization of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of Kenya. The main sources of financing for cancer care in Kenya include the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) oncology package, private insurance, Exchequer funding for Universal Health Coverage(UHC),out of pocket expenditure and donor funding. 

For more information please contact: Janet.Mwangi@trade.gov