Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has urged Kenyans to collaborate in efforts to end tuberculosis.
Mudavadi commissioned the County Referral Laboratory at the Huruma subcounty Hospital in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu and presided over the World Tuberculosis Day celebrations at the Huruma grounds.
The Prime CS who represented President William Ruto at the celebrations said the government is cognizant of the rising cases of TB in the country.
He said the Ministry of Health aims to ensure prevention and cure of the disease are given a key priority within the health sector.
"We need to aggressively pursue timely diagnosis and treatment as we thrive to put in place preventive and protective measures against Tuberculosis which is one of the leading causes of death among infectious diseases in Kenya," Mudavadi said.
He said TB is the fourth leading cause of death among infectious diseases in Kenya and the burden for TB, TB/HIV and Drug- Resistant TB remains high.
While acknowledging that the government has made progressive strides towards reducing the TB burden, the Prime CS emphasised on the need to develop a continuous approach in fighting the disease.
He said this can be achieved through robust multisectoral partnerships, increased domestic resource allocation for TB programming, rapid adoption of innovations and adherence to the global WHO guidelines recommendations.
"Expansion of TB diagnostic capacities and improved integration of TB services into other programmes by ensuring access to quality TB services for all should remain a key priority as the Ministry of Health continues to put in place mechanisms to curb the spread of TB,” he added.
Mudavadi said that as far as TB is treatable and curable, in Kenya, recent estimates show that 133,000 people have developed TB among them 16,000 Children.
This, he said, is a huge burden on the health system and a major barrier to economic development in the country.
Globally, an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2021, an increase of 4.5 per cent from 10.1 million in 2020, reversing years of a slow decline.
In Kenya in 2022, the Ministry of Health reported 90,841 TB cases compared to 77,854 cases in 2021.
"The COVID-19 pandemic reversed progress made in the years up to 2019 and set global TB targets off track. The reductions in the reported number of people diagnosed with TB in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic suggest that the number of people with undiagnosed and untreated TB has grown," the President's speech read in part.
"This has resulted in an increased number of TB deaths, community transmission of infection and numbers of people developing TB.”
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha said the government through her ministry is working on modalities to ensure that healthcare becomes affordable to all Kenyans.
She warned cartels who have been taking advantage of poor Kenyans, exploiting them and circumventing the order of priority in the health sector through dubious procurement deals of drugs and medical equipment thus costing the exchequer billions of shillings that their days are numbered.
"I want to assure the President and his administration that in the health sector we are on track and we will deliver to the people of Kenya. The NHIF programme under the Kenya Kwanza plan will be a game changer and the journey has begun," she said.
Leaders present included Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii, Nandi Governor Stephen Sang, MPs Stephen Mule (Matungulu) and Omboko Milemba (Emuhaya) among other Local and International Partners in the Health Sector.