Women leaders from Bondo and Vihiga districts have renewed their efforts to dispel myths and misconceptions on modern family planning methods in the two districts. Through forums held on the 19 – 20 January 2012, opinion leaders in the communities agreed to support modern family planning methods in an effort to improve maternal health indicators in the two districts. An assessment conducted by GIZ in 2010 revealed that myths and misconceptions prevalent in the target population contribute to the high unmet need of family planning (26 percent in Vihiga and 31 percent in Bondo). MORE »
More private hospitals in Nairobi are subscribing to proper waste treatment techniques after more than 16 tonnes of medicalwaste was aptly treated at the Nairobi Women’s Hospital incinerator. This according to the technical advisor of the partnership Andrew Moseti, is a commitment to increase employee as well as public safety. This therefore calls for a continuous update on the National Guidelines on Healthcare Waste Management 2011(by the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation) and the Waste Management Guidelines 1999 by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
The German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Dirk Niebel and the BMZ (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) department head Dr. Friedrich Kitschelt are expected to visit Kenya next week. The German delegation is expected to tour various GIZ projects but of priority are those that deal with drought response in the health and agriculture sector. MORE »
The National Health Sector Strategic Plan (NHSSP II), Kenya’s comprehensive out-put and performance oriented strategy of the health sector, comes to an end in June 2012. A review of the strategic plan will be undertaken from February to March 2012, paving way for the development of the next plan: Kenya Health Sector Strategic Plan-KHSSP (2012-2017). This was among the key agenda items at the Development Partners in Health Kenya (DPHK) meeting held on 19th February 2011. The review of the NHSSP II will assess progress made in the period (2005-2012), identify facilitating and constraining factors as well as lessons learnt in implementation of NHSSSP II. MORE »
“Removing User fees has the potential to improve access to health services, especially for the poor” (B. Messen, et al, 2011).
An ‘experts consultation’ organized by UNICEF in 2005 reached a similar consensus, one that has been corroborated by various experts on health across the world. However, B. Messen, et al synthesizes from a set of 10 articles, that for removal of user fees to have a positive impact, it is important to analyse country specific cases and identify common conditionalities. MORE »
Implementation of emergency response activities to mitigate the effects of last year’s severe drought in parts of Northern Kenya continues. However, localized flash floods experienced late last year reported in parts of Wajir, Turkana, Pokot and Mandera districts affected some of these activities. The Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK) was among the organizations affected by this. The partnership between the Kenyan – German Drought Response Programme and CHAK carried out a mission in November to conduct a situational analysis of the project implementation sites, distribute essential equipment and supplies for Malaria diagnosis as well as training of laboratory personnel. MORE »
Lessons learnt from Rwanda’s 1994 genocide period has pushed the country to adopt a holistic approach in the fight against Gender Based Violence (GBV), making it a model country in addressing GBV in conflict and post conflict settings. A two-day workshop convened in Kigali, in November 2011 brought together participants from 13 countries in the region to discuss and share best practices on prevention and response mechanisms towards GBV in countries in conflict and in transition. MORE »
Adopting “non-medicalised” approaches and innovations that help tackle the “causes of the causes” of Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) has been touted as the most effective and practical way of reducing incidences of NCDs in the country. This involves the need to invest in community-based interventions, supportive policy decisions, inter-sectoral action and healthcare reforms in the fight against NCDs.This was discussed at a meeting organized by the Kenya NCD Alliance that brought together participants from research and training institutions in the country, ostensibly to discuss critical research and capacity building needs for the country and the WHO African Region. MORE »
A recent rapid assessment conducted by the Wajir South Development Authority revealed that on average, only three litres of water is available per person per day in Wajir County. This is far from the recommended 15 litres per day. The assessment further indicates that 90 per cent of the county had not received any rains this year. This assessment carried out in June 2011 reports that the North Eastern province has the least coverage of safe drinking water of 46 per cent against national average of 60.4 percent. MORE »
Residents of Takaba district in Mandera County now have more food to take them through the month after the Supreme Council of Muslims in Kenya (SUPKEM) continued with it’s interventions to supply food rations to about 200 households in the area. SUPKEM has partnered with the German Development Cooperation through GIZ to carry out nutritional support and infrastructural support through the supply of cold chain systems in two divisions, in the county: Takaba and Banisa. These efforts are aimed at mitigating the effects of the drought that has hit the Horn of Africa. MORE »