Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Thursday launched the Kenya National Public Health Institute (KNPHI) despite opposition from a section of practitioners. Duale was optimistic that the institute would enhance preventive and promotive healthcare geared towards the country's pursuit of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). "KNPHIs serve as centralised hubs that bring together surveillance, emergency response, health research, and policy coordination under one roof," said Duale.
He was speaking during the launch of the programme on Thursday, at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Nairobi. "They eliminate duplication of efforts, align national policies with international standards such as the WHO's International Health Regulations, and ensure that public health threats are managed quickly, effectively, and comprehensively," he said. .Keep ReadingCan CS Duale alias the bulldozer fix a health sector on the sickbed?Six dead as cholera outbreak spreadsHealth ministry launches institute to boost research and emergency responseThe CS revealed that 13 key divisions and programmes, including Disease Surveillance, Zoonotic Disease Management, Emergency Operations, Health Informatics, and the National Public Health Laboratories, have already been transferred to the KNPHI. But, two health sector lobby groups have opposed the development of KNPHI constituted under Legal Notice No. 14 of 2022.
Two weeks ago, Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union (KEHPHPU) and the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers (KNUMLO) threatened to call nationwide protests unless the government halts the "rushed formation and operationalisation of KNPHI.
They accused the Ministry of Health of allegedly bypassing legal requirements and excluding key stakeholders in the establishment of the institute. "Any formation of government policy must involve stakeholders as a legal requirement and must also look at the future with the present in mind," said KEHPHPU Secretary General and CEO Brown Olaly Ashira, in a joint statement. They questioned the formation process, claiming that the move lacked a clear legal framework, human resource validation and failed to guarantee job security or protect members' benefits. "The institute must be led by a mix of implementing cadres, namely public health officers and laboratory technologists with relevant skills and registration," said KNUMLO National Chairperson Nicholas Odipo.
