Health CS Sicily Kariuki on Tuesday, October 22, blamed Kenyans for their own poor health.
In a video shared by Business Daily, Kariuki noted that Kenyans needed to take responsibility for their own health in order to save the government and themselves extra costs.
She further stated that Kenyans needed to ensure that they attended regular health check-ups to ensure any underlying conditions are arrested early before complications arise.
Kariuki lamented about the quality of foods consumed by most Kenyans sounding an alarm of over the extent processed foods had permeated the Kenyan food market.
"Not long ago while on duty in different countries I noted that you can't find table salt on the tables," she added.
On, Kariuki hinted that Kenya needed to follow suit in that direction.
The CS turned her attention to smokers and drinkers as she claimed both were direct and major contributors to the scourge of cancer in the country.
Kariuki also waded into the critical topic of sexually-transmitted infections and the suggestion that many Kenyans were yet to fully grasp the need and strategies to protect themselves.
She went on to propose that if the media was enjoined in public health literacy initiatives, there would be better management of non-communicable diseases and spending on medication would be cut by up to a half.
"The more we give health education and the media becomes very important here," Kariuki added.
Kariuki suggested that collaboration between media and the government in public health literacy initiatives would go a long way in reducing the incidence of non-communicable diseases.
