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Kenya’s improved economy needs greater health investment

Increased public private partnership in the fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is also a requirement as is improved data collection on the three diseases

Increased public private partnership in the fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is also a requirement as is improved data collection on the three diseases

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 16 – Kenya will now be required to provide 20 percent financing for health projects in which it seeks to partner with the Global Fund.

This is a 15 percent increase from what was required when Kenya was classified as a Low Income Country (LIC).

Now that Kenya is a Lower Middle Income Country (LMIC), it also needs to “move toward Universal Health Care,” in order to qualify for Global Fund financing, according to PriceWaterhouseCoopers who are the Local Fund Agent.

Increased public private partnership in the fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is also a requirement as is improved data collection on the three diseases; their eradication being the primary goal of the Bill and Melinda Gates supported Global Fund.

“Partnerships can take various forms such as contribution of resources, use of core competencies pro bono goods and services, advocacy and governance and/or grant implementer,” PwC explains.

Created in 2002, the Global Fund is the global financing leader of programmes that work toward the prevention, treatment and care of persons infected with AIDS, Tuberculosis or Malaria; having spent Sh2.35 trillion so far.

“The Global Fund accounts for 80 percent of the international funding for TB, 50 percent for malaria and 21 percent for HIV,” PwC cites.

In Kenya, the Global Fund has invested Sh81.3 billion – close to two times Kenya’s 2014/15 national health budget – to combat the AIDS pandemic, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

And given an expected HIV/AIDS health care funding gap of Sh42.2 billion in three years, increased public partnership is critical as it costs about Sh20,000 to provide anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for an infected person annually and less than half of Kenya’s infected adult and adolescent population are on ART.

The Ministry of Health also estimates a Sh18.1 billion Tuberculosis healthcare funding gap – half of its required funding – in the next five years.

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The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has however committed to match coin for coin, private sector contributions to the Global Fund.

Kenya was rebased as a lower middle Income economy this year after the Gross Domestic Product grew by 25 percent.

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