healthcare Stories

Silent crisis of self-medication and gaps in SHA services for patients with chronic illnesses
Charity Kilei  |  Aug 23, 2025

Self-medication poses serious risks. Without proper diagnosis, people often take the wrong drugs or doses, which can worsen their illness or cause har...

Kenya to receive Sh10 billion for maternal and newborn care
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 19, 2025

The support will strengthen the country’s reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health programme and enhance access to life-saving ca...

Lagdera MP demands action as health facilities defy Ruto’s free outpatient care directive
Issa Hussein  |  Aug 18, 2025

Abdikadir's remarks come after President William Ruto issued a stern warning to public health centres still demanding payment for outpatient care, str...

Garissa residents set to benefit as Balambala Hospital goes digital
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Aug 16, 2025

The launch coincided with a three-day free medical and surgical camp, which provided consultations, wellness check-ups, and health education to nearly...

PS Oluga warns stigma denying thousands of PWDs vital health services
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Aug 15, 2025

Speaking at the Devolution Conference 2025, Dr Oluga stressed the importance of mapping all Kenyans who require assistive technology to ensure that in...

Counties urged to ditch costly overseas benchmarking tours amid fiscal constraints
Alfred Onyango  |  Aug 15, 2025

Keprecon Chief Executive Director Fred Were underscored the urgency of investing directly in health systems instead of spending millions on internati...

Kenya’s primary healthcare crisis: Patients struggle despite ‘free’ treatment, SHA registration
Charity Kilei  |  Aug 14, 2025

A spot check by The Eastleigh Voice revealed widespread confusion over whether “free” primary healthcare truly includes diagnostic tests and essential...

Sakaja’s 'Dishi na County' programme under scrutiny over billions in irregular spending
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 07, 2025

In the school feeding programme, the Auditor General's report found that the county paid the food provider Sh25 per plate, despite the contract requir...

New report warns 19 counties without proper disease testing facilities
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 05, 2025

The findings come from a joint study by the African Institute for Development Policy and Global Solutions for Diagnostics and Laboratory Systems.

Ruto orders action against public hospitals charging outpatient fees
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 05, 2025

He encouraged citizens to report hospitals and clinics that continue to demand payments for outpatient care, saying they are undermining the governmen...

MPs demand urgent talks between SHA and healthcare providers over transition bottlenecks
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Aug 01, 2025

Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) chair Brian Lishenga urged the government to embrace a hybrid digital health approach t...

Cabinet approves Bill to combat healthcare malpractice, enhance patient safety
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jul 29, 2025

The Bill introduces a unified quality assurance framework designed to eliminate entrenched fraud, weak oversight and collusion within Kenya’s healthca...

AI chatbots can boost public health in Africa - why language inclusion matters
The Conversation  |  Jul 24, 2025

In recent years, AI language technologies for public health have increased rapidly. This wave of technology development really took off as the COVID-1...

Senators slam SHA over "punitive" full-year contribution rule, cite constitutional violations
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jul 23, 2025

The legislators have described the policy as punitive, demanding an immediate intervention from the Ministry of Health.

Safaricom’s Ndoto Zetu initiative elevates maternal health in Kamukunji's Eastleigh with bed donation
Alfred Onyango  |  Jul 22, 2025

This upgrade at the Eastleigh Health Centre—from fewer than eight outdated beds—represents a major improvement in both comfort and care for expectant...

Mombasa County moves to elevate Coast General to Level 6 status amid major upgrades
Farhiya Hussein  |  Jul 20, 2025

The move follows the groundbreaking ceremony for a modern funeral home within the hospital grounds, a key development expected to expand mortuary capa...

SHA eases hospital cash strain with two-phase claims payment
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 15, 2025

The development follows persistent complaints from a section of health providers about payment delays, which they say have disrupted service delivery...

Kilifi County urges striking nurses to resume duty, cites ongoing dialogue
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Jul 12, 2025

The county government spokesperson, Jonathan Mativo, said the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUN), Kilifi Branch, ignored a scheduled c...

Relief for patients as Kwale doctors return to work after striking deal with county government
Farhiya Hussein  |  Jul 09, 2025

The industrial action, which began on June 29, had crippled key health services across public facilities, leaving patients stranded and prompting wide...

Casual workers at Mandera County Teaching and Referral Hospital protest over unpaid wages, poor working conditions
Abdirahman Khalif  |  Jul 08, 2025

Many of the protesting workers are mothers, some of them widowed, while others have been left to fend for their families after being divorced.

Lamu residents to benefit as county opens eye unit, upgrades referral hospital
Farhiya Hussein  |  Jul 08, 2025

The Mokowe eye unit, the first in the county, was officially opened this week to provide consultations, treatment of eye conditions, surgical procedur...

Kenya Medical Association condemns obstruction of healthcare workers during protests, calls for action
Charity Kilei  |  Jul 07, 2025

KMA Secretary General Dr Diana Marion expressed concern over what the association describes as a disturbing trend of interference with healthcare serv...

How far is your closest hospital or clinic? Public health researchers explain why Africa needs up-to-date health facility databases
The Conversation  |  Jul 04, 2025

The ideal method of compiling this list is to conduct a census, as Kenya did in 2023. But this takes resources. Some countries have compiled lists fro...

World Bank: Africa remains biggest development challenge despite 25 years of progress
Alfred Onyango  |  Jun 24, 2025

The World Bank adds that in the early 2000s, Africa enjoyed strong economic growth driven by high commodity prices and a surge in foreign capital infl...

New Bill proposes Sh50 million for health providers over neglect and unsafe facility conditions
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jun 16, 2025

If enacted, the Bill will require all health facilities to provide only the services they are licensed and qualified to offer. Those found operating b...

Primary healthcare gets major boost as Treasury triples funding to Sh13.1 billion
Charity Kilei  |  Jun 12, 2025

This increase marks a threefold allocation to the fund, which has historically been severely underfunded.

Kenya boosts medical interns' support with Sh4.3bn allocation in 2025/26 health budget
Charity Kilei  |  Jun 12, 2025

The total health budget has increased to Sh138 billion for the 2025/2026 fiscal year, up from Sh123 billion—a reversal of three consecutive years of b...

Expired drugs pile up in county hospitals as patients go without medicine
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jun 08, 2025

The Health CS attributed the situation to budget constraints, logistical challenges, and poor prioritisation of pharmaceutical waste management at the...

Working through pain: The overlooked health crisis among Kenya’s informal labourers
Charity Kilei  |  Jun 07, 2025

In a world where survival depends on showing up, even blood and pain don’t qualify as reasons not to report to work.

Lobby group Okoa Uchumi warns 2025 budget will raise costs, deepen inequality in Kenya
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jun 04, 2025

Okoa Uchumi says several proposals in the Finance Bill 2025 place an unfair burden on ordinary citizens while protecting elite interests, risking grea...

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