NAIROBI, Kenya – Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children and adults in Kenya and a serious public health problem.
The Sickle Cell Disease Afya Dhabiti Project was started in September 2023 by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with Novartis, the Non-communicable Diseases Alliance Kenya (NCDAK), and the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH).
The project aims to lessen the prevalence of SCD in Kenya and enhance patient access to high-quality care by strengthening the country’s healthcare systems.
The innovative effort seeks to improve the quality of life for those living with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Kenya through comprehensive awareness, education, and advocacy in 17 high-burden counties.
The three-year program’s primary objectives will be training, research, increasing healthcare personnel capacity, affordability, and treatment accessibility.
However, it is now emerging that the recent slashing of monetary allocations in the health sector through the 2024/2025 national budget will likely undermine efforts to tackle diseases like SCD.
What reduced budget means to the Kenyan healthcare sector
As Kenya joins the rest of the globe to mark World Sickle Cell Day on Wednesday, Nguvu Change Leader Arnold Osano seeks to draw the government’s attention to the health crisis that SCD has already triggered in Kenya.
This year’s theme is “Hope through Progress: Advancing Sickle Cell Care Globally.”
Against a dwindling healthcare budget, Arnold argues that the reduced budget will further impede efforts to strengthen the healthcare system and combat SCD.
“Kenya’s healthcare system faces significant challenges in managing diseases like SCD. The main issue is that primary healthcare facilities often lack the resources for appropriate treatment, leading to late diagnoses and hindering timely management,” Arnold told Y News ahead of the global celebrations.
Amid the growing demand for a more robust public health system in Kenya, the Ministry of Health was allocated only Sh127 billion for the 2024-25 financial year, now seen as a massive setback to the critical sector.
Arnold argues that the slashing of over Sh11 billion from the health sector budget has shocked the country.
The Kenyan Ministry of Health declared in September 2023 that approximately 14,000 children were born with Sickle Cell Disease each year.
‘Give Kenyans Quality and Affordable Healthcare Services’
Arnold underscores the need to prioritise resource allocation for improving preventive, promotional, and curative healthcare services in Kenya through his online petition, ‘Give Kenyans Quality and Affordable Healthcare Services’.
“Furthermore, healthcare providers frequently lack the necessary skills and knowledge to diagnose and manage such diseases effectively, resulting in suboptimal care. The high cost of treatment also places a heavy financial burden on patients. We hoped the health budget would focus on strengthening the system, but instead, the allocation was slashed, which is a real irony,” Arnold further said.
Concerned about the growing number of cases, the Ministry of Health has already developed a nationwide plan to handle SCD cases.
The majority of cases of the disease occur in the counties surrounding Lake Victoria and the coastline region, where 50–90% of afflicted children pass away before their fifth birthday.
What is the Kenyan gov’t is doing to combat SCD
According to Dr Gladwell Gathecha, Acting Head of the Ministry of Health’s Division of Non-Communicable Diseases, the strategy aims to implement policy interventions to lessen the disease’s burden on patients and decrease the prevalence of the blood disorder.
She said that the government had created a policy to give guidelines for healthcare professionals, guaranteeing consistent and standardised methods in disease management through the strategy.
“This will guarantee that people receiving care on the coast receive it in a manner consistent with how individuals with the illness are managed in the Western Kenya region,” stated Gathecha.
However, while highlighting Article 43(A) of the Kenya 2010 Constitution, which enshrines the right of citizens to the highest attainable health standards, Arnold said:
“We urge the National and County Government Departments of Public Health and Sanitation to ensure effective allocation of medical resources, involve the legislature to guarantee constructive usage of these resources, implement management and containment strategies for infectious disease outbreaks and strengthen public health systems to restore public trust and confidence. Only then can we move forward as a strong nation that values the health of its citizens,” added Arnold.
What human rights activists want the Kenyan gov’t to do
Eldoret-based human rights activist Kimutai Kirui of the Centre Against Torture faulted the ruling Kenya Kwanza administration, accusing it of being “insensitive” after slashing the healthcare budget.
“The government should have slashed the Defence budget because, as a country, we are not at war with any country. Health is wealth, so this docket is critical,” Kirui told Y News.
In the meantime, Dr Gathecha, who spoke during the Sickle Cell Disease and Hemophilia Conference in Kisumu, said that the Ministry of Health is organising a nationwide sensitisation campaign to raise awareness of SCD and dispel stereotypes that have long stigmatised patients.
However, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, observed that African countries need more resources to provide comprehensive care for people with SCD.
“Accurate and reliable data on the disease are lacking due to the absence of newborn screening programs and surveillance across the region,” Moeti said.
What Western Kenyan counties are doing to combat SCD
However, Dr Gregory Ganda, the Kisumu County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Medical Services, Public Health, and Sanitation, stated that testing was crucial to ensuring that all infants know their sickle cell status so that the decision to put them on the medicine may be made.
He stated that Kisumu County has implemented baby SCD testing at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) to combat the disease.
He said the facility’s statistics show that 1.5% of the 20,000 deliveries in the county have the illness.
Dr. Andrew Wamalwa, the Bungoma County Executive Member for Health, stated that the Bungoma County Referral Hospital had implemented a comparable programme.
30 of the 1,200 cases the institution has screened thus far have been proven to have the disease.
Where the focus to address SCD should be placed
To increase the number of people screened for the condition, Dr. Fredrick Okinyi, the Sickle Cell Federation of Kenya (SCFK) chairman, requested that the government set aside money to purchase rapid testing kits.
The focus should be on schools so that all kids in the nation are aware of their sickle cell status and may obtain treatment for the disease if they are confirmed to have it.
He claimed that several patients could not afford the exorbitant expense of treatment.
National Blood Ambassador Caroline Wangamati urged the stepping up advocacy and awareness campaigns to encourage Kenyans to donate blood.
She lamented the inadequate condition of blood banks nationwide and stated that blood is crucial for treating SCD and haemophilia.
