The WHO has announced a new Commission on Social Connection, to address loneliness as a pressing health threat, promote social connection as a priority and accelerate the scaling up of solutions in countries of all incomes. Co-chaired by US Surgeon General, Dr Vivek Murthy, and

In the context of the current global economic downturn, World Cities Day 2023 focuses on increasing public investment to finance urban development. With numerous converging global crises, it is critical to find more sustainable and innovative ways of financing the health and well-being of 55%

In a world where personal choices often conflict with public health concerns, Harm Reduction has emerged as an alternative path to minimising the negative implications of drug use.  Harm reduction principles entail the policies, programmes and practices that aim to minimise the negative health, social

This year’s Mashujaa Day theme is premised on universal health care. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines universal health coverage (UHC) to mean all people having access to the full range of quality health services needed without financial hardship. It covers the full range of

Kenya is currently grappling with a challenging economic landscape characterised by a high cost of living, and the recent introduction of a housing levy has added to the financial burdens of employers and employees. Amid these economic challenges, the Unemployment Insurance Authority Bill, sponsored by

In Kenya, the Digital Health Bill for 2023 has emerged as a crucial stride in safeguarding sensitive personal information and ensuring the responsible handling of health data. Yet, just like with any set of rules, it’s vital to carefully examine its contents in relation to

The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) will be dismantled to pave the way for three funds that will be managed and administered separately for efficiency. On Tuesday, the Cabinet approved the proposal to scrap NHIF to create the Primary Healthcare Fund, Social Health Insurance Fund,

  The World Health Organization (WHO) is convening the Traditional Medicine Global Summit on 17 and 18 August 2023​ in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. Co-hosted by the Government of India, the Summit will explore the role of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine in addressing pressing health

    Statement by Catherine Russell and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus   In the last 10 years, many countries have made significant progress to increase exclusive breastfeeding rates. Yet even greater progress is possible when breastfeeding is protected and supported, particularly in the workplace.  

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) launched a Health Security Partnership to Strengthen Disease Surveillance and Epidemic Intelligence in Africa on 18th July, 2023. The partnership aims to strengthen Africa’s

From the manifesto, Kenya Kwanza emphasised its commitment to realise the constitutional right to health in the shortest time possible by delivering a Universal Health Coverage (UHC) system. This was meant to be built on three pillars. The first pillar is a fully publicly financed

The World Health Organization (WHO) and European Commission on 5th June 2023, announced the launch of a landmark digital health partnership.   In June 2023, WHO will take up the European Union (EU) system of digital COVID-19 certification to establish a global system that will help

Discharged but confined in hospitals; deceased but detained in mortuaries. These are the prevalent harsh realities facing families unable to clear medical or mortuary bills. The situation is an infringement on human dignity and basic freedoms as enshrined in Articles 28, 29 and 39 (1)

WHO’s 76th health assembly closed Tuesday, May 30, having addressed a vast array of issues, including behavioural sciences; best buys for non-communicable diseases; diagnostics; disabilities; drowning prevention; emergency, critical and operative care; food micronutrients; indigenous health; infection prevention and control; maternal and child health; medical

In the past decade, the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) has been involved in one scandal after another. Every other year, Kemsa is embroiled in what are mostly procurement-related scandals. It, therefore, came as no surprise when on Monday, May 16th 2023, Health Cabinet Secretary

A new solution, known as E-MOTIVE, could provide a major breakthrough in reducing deaths from childbirth-related bleeding according to a landmark study by researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the University of Birmingham. Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) – defined as the loss of more

The enormous negative impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) on public health systems across the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region today is receiving much more attention on the policy agenda than it did two decades ago. Amid this commendable progress, however, there is an emerging risk that

These proposed Temporary Recommendations continue to support the goal of the Strategic Preparedness, Readiness and Response Plan for Monkeypox 2022–2023 with the aim of stopping the ongoing mpox outbreak and its objectives to interrupt human-to-human transmission, protect the vulnerable, and minimize zoonotic transmission of the

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently sounded the alarm on the continued and aggressive marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes but where does Kenya lie on this issue? Kenya issued draft Breast Milk Substitutes (Regulations and Control) (General) Regulations in 2021 for public review. The draft

E-waste refers to electronic products that are unwanted, not working, and nearing or at the end of their “useful life.” E-waste can also be any electrical or electronic equipment that’s been discarded. This includes working and broken items that are thrown in the garbage. E-waste

Supported by the PIP Framework Partnership Contribution, in 2022, WHO initiated a project to estimate medical countermeasures (MCMs) needed during a future influenza pandemic. Effective planning for the deployment of pandemic influenza response products including vaccines, antivirals and diagnostics is critical to ensuring the timely

The health system in Kenya has for the longest time been of great concern to many. A section of Kenyans have complained about poor services in hospitals where some have lost their loved ones due to alleged negligence by caregivers. Some cases have been taken

    News Release Ministers and representatives from twelve African countries have committed themselves, and laid out their plans, to end AIDS in children by 2030. International partners have set out how they would support countries in delivering on those plans, which were issued at

A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession, or use is regulated by a government, such as illicitly used drugs or prescription medications that are designated by law.  They are tightly controlled by the government because they may be abused or

The Kenya demographic and health survey  2022 shows that the average number of sexual partners are 2:3 among women and 7:4 among men in Kenya. Background The primary objective of the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey is to provide up-to- date estimates of demographic,

14 December 2022 / News release Urgent action is needed globally and locally to achieve safe and sustainably managed water, sanitation and hygiene for all in order to prevent devastating impacts on the health of millions of people. Findings from WHO and UN-Water’s Global Analysis

7 December 2022 / News release / Geneva   Member States of the World Health Organization today agreed to develop the first draft of a legally binding agreement designed to protect the world from future pandemics. This “zero draft” of the pandemic accord, rooted in

WHO is launching a global scientific process to update the list of priority pathogens—agents that can cause outbreaks or pandemics—to guide global investment, research and development (R&D), especially in vaccines, tests and treatments. Starting with a meeting held last Friday, 18 November, WHO is convening

Meeting on the sidelines of the International Conference on Family Planning in Thailand, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Special Research Programme HRP, and FP2030 today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) committing to strengthen collaboration on sexual and reproductive health and rights – 

On the eve of the pivotal climate talks at COP27, WHO issued a grim reminder that the climate crisis continues to make people sick and jeopardize lives, and that health must be at the core of these critical negotiations. WHO believes the conference must end

The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) announced that it has approved the use of long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention. “The information submitted to support the approval of the product indicated that the product is safe, effective and of

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Development Innovation Alliance (IDIA) have agreed to renew their strategic Collaborative Agreement to support the scaling of health innovations to the end of 2023 to jointly accelerate health impact.   “We must leverage health innovations effectively to accelerate

A new UN report shows that women’s and children’s health has suffered globally, as the impacts of conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change converge with devastating effects on prospects for children, young people and women. Data presented in the report show a critical regression

The World Health Organization (WHO) is launching a new Framework for collaborative action on TB and comorbidities to address the limited uptake of collaborative activities to reduce the burden of TB and comorbidities and to support countries in enabling access to people-centred care. The Framework

The inclusion and diversity agenda is key in today’s evolving world. Running sustainable operations now calls for businesses to create shared value and promote social justice amongst their communities. The reality, however, is that Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) have historically missed out on opportunities to

Substandard (contaminated) paediatric medicines identified in WHO region of Africa Alert Summary This WHO Medical Product Alert refers to four substandard products, identified in The Gambia and reported to WHO in September 2022. Substandard medical products are products that fail to meet either their quality

Joint News Release New global WHO guidelines on mental health at work are reinforced by practical strategies outlined in a joint WHO/ILO policy brief. WHO and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have called for concrete actions to address mental health concerns in the working population.

News Release by the World Health Organisation Today, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, launched a new report calling on global leaders to take urgent action on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), responsible for 17 million premature deaths every year. To accelerate action Dr Tedros renewed

News Release by the World Health Organisation WHO welcomes the overarching recommendations of The Lancet COVID-19 Commission’s report on “Lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic,” which align with our commitment to stronger global, regional and national pandemic preparedness, prevention, readiness and response. At

News Release by the World Health Organisation Newly established global estimate on hygiene reveals the risk of disease spread and infections to patients and health care providers Half of health care facilities worldwide lack basic hygiene services with water and soap or alcohol-based hand rub

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, today extended his congratulations to the Republic of Togo, as it was confirmed that the West African country had become the first country to eliminate four devastating neglected tropical diseases. The ceremony took place during the 72nd Session of

News Release by WHO  In June 2022, WHO’s Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held a dialogue with WHO’s Civil Society Task Force on Tuberculosis (CSTF-TB) in Geneva, Switzerland.  The dialogue was followed by an online town hall with civil society and affected communities on priorities

News Release by World Health Organisation Brain health is an evolving concept, attracting increasing attention not only from the health sector but also from wider society, stimulating rich debate – and for good reasons. The brain and central nervous system are the command centre of

News Release by World Health Organization Millions of lives are in peril, including children. US$ 123.7 million is needed for the health agency’s response until December 2022. The health and lives of people in the greater Horn of Africa are threatened as the region faces

News Release by World Health Organization  WHO on 28/07/22 released new guidelines for the use of long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV and called for countries to consider this safe and highly effective prevention option for people at substantial risk of

Recently a class-action lawsuit against Mars, a manufacturing company of candies such as Skittles, was filed before the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on the basis that the company’s use of titanium dioxide as an additive in Skittles made the

Editorial Opinion by Jaindi Kisero from Nation Media Group Here is my take on the Kenyatta University land saga. In the early 1970s, Nairobi, Delhi and New Mexico put in bids for hosting the Unep headquarters. In 1972, the government rolled out a high-profile campaign

Source: WHO WHO and UNICEF sound the alarm as new data shows global vaccination coverage continued to decline in 2021, with 25 million infants missing out on lifesaving vaccines The largest sustained decline in childhood vaccinations in approximately 30 years has been recorded in official

The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has rolled out a set of changes that have taken effect starting July 1.  NHIF has increased hospital refunds by 12 per cent. It will also pay for 549 surgical procedures up from 292. The new benefits take effect

Press Relesase by UN The number of people affected by hunger globally rose to as many as 828 million in 2021, an increase of about 46 million since 2020 and 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a United Nations report. 

Deputy President William Ruto has promised health workers that he will set up a Health Service Commission if he succeeds in his ambitions for the presidency. A Health Service Commission would be a boon for health workers since unlike teachers and the police, they were

What is sustainable living? Sustainable living means understanding how our lifestyle choices impact the world around us and finding ways for everyone to live better and lighter. It is often called “earth harmony living” or “net zero living.” Applying a ‘people lens’ to sustainability is

Press release by NHIF and Janssen Kenya  Prostate cancer patients covered by the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) can now access an innovator prescription drug manufactured and distributed by Janssen Kenya, one of the pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, as part of a strategic

News release by World Health Organization The devastating human, economic, and social cost of COVID-19 has highlighted the urgent need for coordinated action to build stronger health systems and mobilize additional resources for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR). The World Bank’s Board of Executive

Press release by KEMSA  A scheduled annual stock take exercise at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has commenced today. The exercise was flagged off by KEMSA CEO Terry Ramadhani who confirmed that, during the stock-taking period (from Friday 1st to Friday 8th July), KEMSA

Indoor political meetings are super spreader events for the coronavirus, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said during a press conference on June 20. What does this mean especially at this time when the political heat has intensified, with the majority of contenders hunting for votes from

By WHO Antibacterial Pipeline Team Development of new antibacterial treatments is inadequate to address the mounting threat of antibiotic resistance, according to the annual pipeline report by the World Health Organization (WHO). The 2021 report describes the antibacterial clinical and preclinical pipeline as stagnant and

Spiking of alcohol in entertainment joints has been a long-running menace for revellers who have raised concerns with relevant authorities over their safety. Revellers who have fallen prey to the alcohol spikers, now popularly known as ‘pishori babes’, have lost considerable amounts of money and

Mental Health is a global issue. In analysis, more than 300 million people around the world are suffering from the leading problem of mental health, depression. This is a representation of 4.4% of the world’s total population. In Kenya, a staggering 1 out of 4

By: John Kabuchi Information Technology solutions continue to provide limitless opportunities facilitating much-needed efficiency at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) as part of organisational reforms. KEMSA is a strategic State Corporation mandated to undertake roles and responsibilities to ensure supply chain excellence for Health

The Ministry of Health has come out to clear the air after media reports indicated that the ministry had banned the use of breastfeeding bottles. The MoH termed the reports as misinformation by the media which led to a public outcry this week. The media

As early as 2005, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognized the potential of e-Health to strengthen health systems and improve quality, safety and access to healthcare. The WHO encouraged member states to take action to incorporate e-Health into health systems and services.  Kenya acknowledged the

The Cabinet Secretary for Health has published the National Health Insurance Fund (Contributions) Regulations, 2022 (Draft Regulations). The changes are meant to boost Universal Health Coverage (UHC), but for the changes to work, Ms Mugo, Executive Director of FKE, stated that NHIF needs to step

On Sunday, November 21, 2021,  Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced several strategies that are being proposed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. These strategies are: Making proof of full vaccination a prerequisite to receiving government services from December 21, 2021. Counties to ramp up on

This year’s World Aids Day celebrations, coming as the world works to push back the Covid-19 pandemic, have given the scientific and public policy community an opportunity to consider lessons learnt during the latest medical and scientific struggle faced globally.  As of the end of

On Sunday, November 21, 2021, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced several strategies that are being proposed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. These strategies are: Making proof of full vaccination a prerequisite to receiving government services from December 21, 2021. Counties to ramp up on

100 years after discovery, insulin still out of reach for many with diabetes Geneva, November 12, 2021 – A new report published by WHO in the lead-up to World Diabetes Day highlights the alarming state of global access to insulin and diabetes care, and finds

By Edward Njoroge The past few weeks have been a pretty busy season for the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA), with staff running against time to process customer orders and deliveries. Due to the budget cycles, county governments have recently placed orders, settled outstanding debts

The Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua has warned that action will be taken against civil servants who are not vaccinated by August 23rd, 2021. He said in a memo that it had been discovered that there was low uptake of the vaccines among public

By Jason Braganza The global Covid-19 pandemic is an unprecedented shock hopefully many of us will not be alive to see another as disruptive and pervasive as this one. A health crisis that shut down the entire global economic and trading ecosystem for close to

Energy efficient health care facilities hold great potential for creating stronger and more resilient healthcare systems. Such energy is vital to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals especially SDG 3 on good health and wellbeing as well as SDG 7 on affordable and clean energy

At the National Prayer Breakfast held at Parliament on Thursday, President Uhuru Kenyatta asked MPs to fast track and approve the Bill for the implementation of Universal Health Coverage.  The National Hospital Insurance Fund (Amendment) Bill seeks to make it mandatory for any Kenyan who

World Intellectual Property Day was on Monday 26th and the theme of this year’s celebration was “IP & SMEs: Taking Your Ideas to Market.” Events all over the world are planned for this week to highlight the crucial role that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

25 Million Doses of AstraZeneca Vaccine The Ministry of Health is expected to start rolling out the administration of 25 million doses of Astrazeneca Vaccine soon. Kenya began its mass vaccination on March 5 after receiving 1.2 Million doses of the Astrazeneca Vaccine. By Thursday

New rules were gazetted this week. The Rules provide for: Movement Into And Out Of The Restricted Area/Public Gatherings One needs authorization from the Assistant County Commissioner where they need to enter or exit an infected area for purposes of attending a funeral or seeking

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives and livelihoods of many individuals. Many businesses are still trying to catch up with the new normal which has greatly affected how transactions take place. Sectors that were used to cash payments are now accepting cashless payments. This

This week the Pharmacy and Poisons Board published guidance on the role of Private Sector in the deployment of COVID-19 Vaccines (March 2021). The guideline describes the Pharmacy and Poisons Board procedure applicable for private sector engagement in supply of the COVID-19 vaccines. The guideline

Introduction On 26th March, 2021, the President of Kenya addressed the Nation on the Covid-19 Pandemic. The last time he addressed the Nation pertaining to the same was on Friday, 12 March 2021. Albeit the norm where the President addresses the Nation after 30 days

A total of 355,500 doses of the COVID vaccine have been distributed in 10 regional stores country wide from a total allocation of 530,000 doses. Currently Vaccination is for Health workers and other frontline personnel including security forces and teachers in Phase I. Vaccination to

The ongoing COVID-19 (C-19) pandemic has and continues to expose the Africa’s weakness in its manufacture and supply of essential medicines and health equipment. This has also brought to the fore a recognition of Africa’s unwavering dependence on the importation of both pharmaceuticals and essential

The evolution of African policy and interests in legal cannabis production continues to gain traction. In October 2020, the Rwandan Cabinet approved regulatory guidelines for the production and processing of medicinal cannabis for export. Including Rwanda there are now ten countries in the region clearly

Today we mark exactly one year since Kenya recorded its first case of COVID-19 on 12th March, 2020.In its wake, the coronavirus disease has left our national consciousness wounded and scarred, every aspect of our life tested to the limit. The COVID enemy has remained

In March 2020, the World
Bank declared COVID-19
as a global Pandemic
prompting governments
and health officials to take
precautionary measures to
curb the spread of the virus. Some
of the measures put in place require
an aspect of mass surveillance in
order to map out close contacts
who may have interacted with an
infected or a potentially exposed
person.

1,075,673 Cumulative Tests 97,733 Confirmed Corona Cases 80,360 Recoveries 1,702 Deaths *07/01/2021 COVID STATISTICS December 2020 A season of Double Crisis According to Research by TIFA conducted in the month of December 2020: ·       70% of Kenyans felt that their economic situation was worse than

On Wednesday, the Employment and Labour Court ordered striking health workers to temporarily resume work. The Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) officials however claim that the court order does not apply to the ongoing strike, stating that it is in regards to a strike

The novel Covid 19 has had unparalleled devastating impact on the overall global economy. The pandemic has been far more than a health crisis: it has adversely affected societies and economies at their core.  While the impact of the pandemic will vary from country to

Accompanying the COVID-19 crises was the spike in reported instances of domestic violence mostly targeted at women and girls. This was one of the observations made by UN Secretary- General, António Guterres in a report dubbed Shared Responsibility, Global Solidarity: Responding to the socio-economic impacts

The death of Dr Stephen Mogusu from Covid-19 complications once more exposed massive gaps in the way the Government treats its essential workers.  Red tape could have been blamed for the fact that he had remained unpaid for five months – some civil servants wait

It is nearly 40 years since the first reported case of HIV/AIDS. The 32nd edition of the World AIDS Day was commemorated under an unprecedented norm occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over and above the adverse socio-economic impact that has been brought about as a

The Interfaith Council for Corona Response sympathizes, prays and condoles with those that have lost loved ones due to the pandemic and continually pray for those infected and affected and their families. The Council notes that Covid19 pandemic infections and deaths continue to rise in

The Pharmacy and Poisons Act (the “Poisons Act”) which provides a legal framework for the control of the profession of pharmacy and the trade in drugs and poisons lists nicotine and its salts, as a poison under Part I of the Poisons List which is reserved for sale by or under the supervision of pharmacists only.

Government has increased
the health budget by 10.4%
to Kes. 114 Billion

Kenya has a National Policy on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) developed in 2003 and reviewed in 2015. It is said that the Policy laid the foundation for development of related policies, strategies and guidelines on ASRH as well as enhanced partnerships between government, private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGO) and civil society organizations (CSOs).

Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health.

The question of right to terminate a pregnancy: Is it time to recognize a woman’s freedom to choose? As highlighted in last week’s feature, a pertinent issue that has come up in the debate of the proposed Reproductive Health Bill, 2019 is whether or not

Studies show that Africa has weathered the pandemic relatively well so far, with fewer than one confirmed case for every thousand people and just 23,000 deaths so far. That is 1:1000 persons.
Antibody surveys show that far more Africans have been infected with the coronavirus and are now resistant to it as per immunologist Sophie Uyoga at the Kenya Medical Research Institute–Wellcome Trust Research Programme

Kenya’s Senate is considering a reproductive healthcare bill, which seeks to address reproductive health gaps. This is the second time the bill has come before the Senate. It has, once again, drawn fire from religious groups, some politicians and civil society lobbies opposed to its proposals.

The African Union (AU) recently published a COVID-19 vaccine strategy. The strategy was announced in a communique issued by the AU ministers of health and heads of delegation following a virtual conference on 24 and 25 June 2020.

This week, the Director of Occupational Safety and Health Services issued a General advisory regarding return to work basic requirements for all workplaces in Kenya to ensure that all workers returning to work on the reopening date or thereafter, are safe and healthy and that

On June 15-16th, the UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit virtually convened over 20,000 leaders from business, government, the UN, civil society and academia for a 26-hour conversation on building inclusive economies and setting course for a socially just, low-carbon and climate resilient world. The UN