Health in Kenya
In recent years, infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), also has become a severe problem.
In 2004 the Kenyan Ministry of Health announced that HIV/AIDS had surpassed malaria and tuberculosis as the leading disease killer in the country.
[6] AIDS has contributed significantly to Kenya's dismal ranking in the latest UNDP Human Development Report, whose Human Development Index (HDI) score is an amalgam of gross domestic product per head, figures for life expectancy, adult literacy, and school enrollment.
[7] Malaria remains a major public health problem in Kenya and accounts for an estimated 16 percent of outpatient consultations.
In February 2004, in an attempt to improve Kenya's record, the government obliged the owners of the country's 25,000 matatus (minibuses), the backbone of public transportation, to install new safety equipment on their vehicles.
In Kenya the number of midwives per 1,000 live births is unavailable and the lifetime risk of death for pregnant women 1 in 38.
This can be largely attributed to the success of the Beyond Zero campaign, a charitable organization whose mission is to see total elimination of maternal deaths in Kenya.
[19] Kenya's health infrastructure suffers from urban-rural and regional imbalances, lack of investment, and a personnel shortage, with, for example, one doctor for 10,150 people (as of 2000).
Based on verbal autopsy reports from women in Nairobi slums, it was noted that most maternal deaths are directly attributed to complications such as haemorrhage, sepsis, eclampsia, or unsafe abortions.
For example, interview data of women aged 12–54 from the Nairobi Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System[23] (NUHDSS), found that the high cost of formal delivery services in hospitals, as well as the cost transportation to these facilities presented formidable barriers to accessing obstetric care.
Contextual determinants: these refer primarily to the influence of political commitment (policy formulation, for example), infrastructure, and women's socioeconomic status, including education, income, and autonomy.
In addition, these women are also more likely to have access to financial resources and health insurance, as well as being in a better position to discuss the use of household income.
[26] Women living in households unable to pay for the costs of transportation, medications, and provider fees were significantly less likely to pursue delivery services at skilled facilities.
[26] The North-Eastern Province of Kenya extends over 126,903 km2 (48,998 sq mi) and contains the main districts of Garissa, Ijara, Wajir, and Mandera.
[27] This area contains over 21 primary hospitals, 114 dispensaries serving as primary referrals sites, 8 nursing homes with maternity services, 9 health centres, and out of the 45 medical clinics spanning this area, 11 of these clinics specifically have nursing and midwifery services available for mothers[28] However, health disparities exist within these regions, especially among the rural districts of the North-Eastern province.
Approximately 80% of the population of the North-Eastern Province of Kenya consists of Somali nomadic pastoralist communities who frequently resettle around these regions.
For example, despite the high MMR, many of the women are hesitant to seek delivery assistance under the care of trained birth attendants at these facilities.
Reasons for low attendance include a lack of awareness of these facility's presence, ignorance, and inaccessibility of these services in terms of distance and costs.
However, to address some of the accessibility barriers to obtaining care, there are concerted efforts within the community already such as mobile health clinics and waived user fees.
[32] The differences in language and culture that come with this extensively diverse population have been coupled with ethnic conflict and favoritism[33] Much of this conflict is rooted in the search for political power as there is a common belief that political power held by the ethnic majority preludes to influence throughout other facets of society.
[35] In addition, data shows that ethnicity can impact communication between patients and healthcare providers and a person's overall sense of wellness.
[39] In Kenya, it has been found that increased social capital has a positive correlation with decreased anxiety, stress, and overall health.
[40] This problem has been shown to negatively affect ethnic groups like the Maasai community who rely on the land for their livelihood and are distanced from the urban areas in the country.
[42][43] Different effects caused or exacerbated by climate change, such as heat, drought, and floods, negatively affect human health.
[45]: 1 83 million people are expected to be at risk of malaria alone by 2070,[45]: 3 a disease which is already responsible for 5% of deaths in children under the age of five and causes large expense.
