Lack of essential medicines and technologies may compromise Kenya's fight against Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.
In a report released on Tuesday, June 10, WHO noted that Kenya, compared to other African countries, is cruising moderately well in implementing policies aimed at eliminating NCDs, but still lags in executing a solid healthcare system for the elimination of the diseases.
WHO spotlighted that despite the country having successfully engineered guidelines for the management of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases, the healthcare system still lacks the infrastructural capacity to put the guidelines into action.
According to the UN agency, Kenya has fully achieved several indicators that are used to measure progress towards the elimination of the diseases. The achieved indicators include setting National NCD targets, having a National Integrated NCD Policy, and launching Mass media campaigns on physical activities.
WHO says that the country has partially conducted a risk factors survey and HPV Vaccination Programmes. HPV aims to protect young people, both men and women, from HPV infection, which can cause various types of cancers, such as cervical cancer in women and genital warts in both men and women.
However, on the flip side, the country has not yet achieved a mortality data system, alcohol harm reduction measures, unhealthy diet reduction measures, and some tobacco control measures, as well as clinical management guidelines for NCDs.
The main types of NCDs include cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and respiratory diseases. According to WHO, tobacco use, physical inactivity, the harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets, and air pollution increase the risk of dying from an NCD.
In 2021, a total of 115,900 NCD deaths were recorded in the country, according to the report. According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) data 2022, NCDs are responsible for over 50% of hospital admissions in the country.
NCD killed 43 million people globally in 2021, the majority of whom were below 70 years. According to the WHO, 73 percent of all NCD deaths are in low and middle-income countries.
The report by WHO comes just a day after the Ministry of Health announced plans to intensify its campaign to curb advertising and consumption of unhealthy food, following the accelerating rate of these diseases.
The ministry, in a statement on Monday, June 9, claimed that it is also in the process of developing a Nutrient Profile Model, which sets clear thresholds for sodium, sugar, and saturated fat nutrients that are strongly linked to the rising burden of NCDs.
"The Ministry of Health is stepping up efforts to address the growing threat of diet-related Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) by reinforcing Kenya’s food policy framework," the ministry stated.
