Explainer: How Primary Health Care will be implemented in health reforms

Primary health care is one of the key anchors of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) that the Kenya Kwanza administration seeks to implement.

Primary health services will be delivered at the community and facility levels.

At the community level, 100,000 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) have been enlisted to provide primary healthcare which seeks to transform health services from curative, preventive, and promotive approaches.

Each CHP will visit 100 households every two to three months to offer all Kenyans basic care in the comfort of their home.

They will refer cases they cannot handle to levels two and three facilities within the locality where most basic screening and testing on weight, pressure, and sugar levels among others are offered free of charge.

More complicated cases requiring referral will be attended to at level four which is the Subcounty referral hospital or its equivalent in private and faith-based facilities.

Services will also be provided at level five facilities which are the county referral hospitals and their equivalents and at level six which include Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret among others.

Social Health Insurance coverage will cater to patients’ expenses at levels four, five, and six under a standard tariff.

This will have no exclusions and will end out-of-pocket expenses.

Other roles of health promoters

• Deliver key health information to families including hygiene and nutrition
• Guide families on health improvement and disease prevention and provide basic first aid to treat common ailments and minor injuries.
• Promote compliance with treatment and advice prescribed by a health facility
• Determine early signs of sickness among family members and refer them to a health facility
• Promote appropriate home care for the sick, people with disabilities, people with chronic conditions
• Provide support to pregnant and breastfeeding women and their babies