NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 12 – The health ministry will receive the fourth biggest allocation in the 2020/21 fiscal year at Sh111.7 billion, Sh50 billion of which will finance the government’s quest for Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The health sector is among four priority sectors, the other three being education, infrastructure and security which will be funded to the tune of Sh497.7 billion, Sh172.4 billion and Sh167.9 billion respectively.
While reading the budget statement on Thursday, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani said the funds will go towards strengthening health care systems with the requisite equipment and medical personnel especially during the coronavirus pandemic period.
Other allocations for improving health services include Sh19.2 billion to address and lower the burden of HIV, Malaria and TB in the country, Sh6.2 billion for Managed Equipment Service (MES) project and Sh5.3 billion to modernize the healthcare system for universal health coverage.
Another Sh4.1 billion will cater for free maternal healthcare, while Sh1.8 billion will go towards providing medical cover for the elderly and disabled.
Other allocations to improve health service delivery include Sh15 billion for Kenyatta National Hospital, Sh10 billion for Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Sh7.2 billion for Kenya Medical Training Centres, Sh2.5 billion for Kenya Medical Research Institute and Sh1.2 billion for Mathari National Teaching and Refferal Hospital.
An additional Sh4.3 billion was allocated as conditional grant to Level V hospitals in the counties.
As part of COVID-19 health sector interventions, Yatani announced an allocation of Sh1.2 billion for hiring of additional 5,000 health care workers to support local staff for a period of one year.
Another Sh500 million has been allocated for the supply 20,000 locally made beds and bedding to public hospitals and Sh25 million to support establishment of 50 modern walk-through sanitizers at border points and main hospitals across the country.
He said the intervention will bolster the county’s COVID-19 response and the implementation of the UHC program.
