CEBA Project Outcome 1: Policy Analysis & Evidence Generation
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by
Keprecon
Policy Briefs
- The Kenya Health Policy – 2014 – 2030 which focuses on attainment of the highest standard of health in a manner responsive to the needs of the Kenya population through facilitating the development of comprehensive health investments, health plans, and service provision within the devolved healthcare system.
- The National Reproductive Health Policy 2022 – 2032 which seeks to consolidate the gains achieved during the previous policy period and address the emerging challenges in reproductive health (RH) by addressing the six operational life course cohorts: Pregnancy and the newborn (up to 28 days of age); 2) Childhood (28 days to 9 years); 3) Adolescence (10 to <18years); 4) Early youth (18 to 24 years); Adulthood (25 to 49 years) and 6) Elderly (50 years and over).
- Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (NCAH) Policy 2018-2023 that seeks to provide policy guidance to accelerate the reduction of newborn, child and adolescent deaths in Kenya and promote their health, development, and well-being
- National Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) Policy Guidelines 2013 that focuses on guiding and facilitating the standardized implementation of maternal, infant, and young child nutrition services at national, county and community levels.
- Kenya Primary Health Care Strategic Framework 2019 – 2024 with the goal of attaining universal coverage of critical services and reduction in burden of health needs through universal access to comprehensive health services
Tracking of Key Health Indicators
With a focus on the 15 select counties, the project team identified seven key health indicators and used data from existing repository (DHIS2) to create profiles for each of the 15 counties in order to build a strong case for advocacy where performance was poor and a case for learning in regions where the performance was commendable.
The indicators will also aid in tracking the impact of advocacy efforts in the select counties and also to refocus advocacy efforts according to the performance of each indicator in the counties of interest. The following key health indicators relevant to PHC/RMNCAH+N were identified:
- 1. Skilled birth attendance,
- 2. 4th ANC visit,
- 3. Exclusive breastfeeding,
- 4. Vitamin A coverage,
- 5. Deworming coverage among school-age children,
- 6. Women of reproductive age receiving family planning, and
- 7. Fully immunized child
Project Launch & Regional Inception Meetings
Following the completion of grant administrative processes, the project team organized regional inception meetings to launch the project in the various select counties. After sharing presentations on the project scope and plan of activities, inclusive and open discussion were then held wherein views from the various counties were invited and suggestions on how to best approach and proceed with the project were welcomed. Group work sessions were also organized to aid the participants delve deeper into pertinent health issues relevant to PHC/RMNCAH+N and propose policy statements that could be used for advocacy purposes.
The meetings were attended by all relevant health officers from the various counties, all the technical leads, senior management, and staff from Keprecon.
County Commitments for PHC/RMNCAH+N
County specific visits are visits conducted twice every quarter to each of the counties included in the project. The aim of the county specific visits is to continue the advocacy work and follow up on commitments made by counties during the inception meetings.
Further, the county specific visits offer an opportunity to work closely with the county to refine and align with their PHC/RMNCAH+N agenda and work towards increasing investment by the local government as well as ensuring ownership of advocacy activities for PHC/RMNCAH+N
Kisii County Visit - October 2022
On September 8 2022, the County Focal Person Dr Onchonga organize a meeting between the CEBA project team and several members of the county health team that was chaired by the then CEC Health Mrs Sarah Omache.
The CEC offered guidance on how best the CEBA project team can engage the county executive to advance the advocacy agenda for PHC/RMNCAH+N.
After a brief session with the CEC, the project team had a session with the CHMT members to delve deeper into issues surrounding PHC/RMNCAH+N. Goodwill was established between the county executive and the project team during which mapping for future engagements was further explored.
A courtesy call to the Governor of Kisii County, His Excellency Simba Arati during which the team gave an overview of the CEBA project.
The governor acknowledged that the project was timely and promised offer support and indicated that he was looking forward to future engagements.
