Gov't moves to fast-track health reforms with new policy coordination platform

The Ministry of Health has taken a major step towards tightening coordination and accountability in the health sector by initiating plans to establish a Kenya Health Policy Platform (HPP) and Reform Acceleration Platform.

The move follows a high-level consultative forum held in Nairobi that brought together national and county government leaders, development partners and key health sector stakeholders to address persistent system challenges, including limited financing, changing disease patterns and fragmented policy implementation.

The challenges, stakeholders noted, have underscored the need for a more coordinated, government-led framework to accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Speaking during the meeting at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi, Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr. Ouma Oluga reaffirmed that UHC is a constitutional right and a central pillar of Taifa Care and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

He said the proposed Health Policy Platform will not create new structures, but instead align ongoing reform efforts, financing decisions and multi-stakeholder actions to deliver more equitable health outcomes.

According to the ministry, the Platform is designed to strengthen health financing by better aligning domestic and external resources, fast-track the adoption of high-impact innovations, and improve performance management and accountability through data-driven tools and joint reviews.

Maternal and newborn health will be a key priority area, particularly in underserved and high-burden regions, in line with national UHC commitments.

The consultative process is set to continue over the coming weeks, with stakeholders expected to submit their inputs within nine days.

These will be consolidated by the end of January, validated in early February, and the Platform is expected to become fully operational by March.

Once established, the Health Policy Platform will mark a significant milestone in Kenya’s ongoing health sector reform agenda.