Dr Kamene: NPHI transition on the right track

The acting Director General of the National Public Health Institute [NPHI] Dr Kamene Kimenye is elated with the steps her Semi Autonomous Government Agency [SAGA] is currently undergoing towards acquisition of full-fledged status.

Speaking in Nakuru on Wednesday during the Institute’s second National Strategic Planning (NSP) Drafting Workshop,Dr Kamene said that the government backed Multisectoral committee has already intensified plans towards NPHI’s transition.

“Plans are at an advanced stage to make KNPHI an independent SAGA with fully working organizational structure in place.We are still under State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards and the progress towards autonomy is impressive. Early next year we are expecting more staff from the Ministry in 13 divisions to strengthen our workforce in realisation of our mandate in coordinating Kenya’s public health structure and operations and improving population health” she noted.

NPHI is currently holding the second National Strategic Planning (NSP) Drafting Workshop which is a build-up on the draft one meeting, focusing on strategic alignment, situational analysis, stakeholder engagement, and defining a coordinated strategic response to enhance national and global health goals.

Commenting on the document whose upon completion will consist of 8 chapters,the DG urged the stakeholders working on its creation to be cognizant of views of the majority to make it a highly inclusive strategic plan capturing all voices from both public health diverse individuals as well as valued external experts.

She said Kenya has a big role to play at the regional level through support to neighboring countries in responding to public health threats,further emphasising
importance of regional collaboration to improve health security.

“We shouldn’t be debating on whether to have NPHI or not what we need to do is apply all the strategic mechanisms to allow us be functional and take our position as public health champions in the region. At some point we were heavyweights in research and training and it’s about time we replicate that feat in areas such as surveillance as we also strive to take leads in the growth of our public health laboratories which are essential for disease control and prevention, and are a key part of health emergency response system.There is need for a multi-agency operation framework to address complex challenges that require resources and expertise from multiple sectors. ” added Dr Kamene

In September this year,Health Cabinet Secretary Dr Deborah Barasa in his meeting with NPHI Board acknowledged the significant role played by the body to tackle public health challenges and strengthen disease surveillance, prevention, and response by consolidating the management and coordination of key activities in prevention, and early detection.

“Health security and public health emergency preparedness is a key focus of the government following lessons learned during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The National Public Health Institute was established in 2022 to support these efforts.Met the board for a briefing on the milestones realized towards full functioning of the institute and discussed key priorities.NPHI is important and establishment of structures and operationalizing strategies to enhance national capacities for future pandemic preparedness and response is key” read her tweet

The Kenya National Public Health Institute (NPHI) was established through a presidential executive because of fragmented public health functions, dispersed across various sectors beyond the human health domain, result in duplication, resource wastage, and uncoordinated leadership with insufficient accountability.

NPHIs across the globe act as their respective government agencies that provide science-based leadership and coordination for a country’s public health activities besides laying out accurate, timely information and data analysis, including on the evolving epidemiology of outbreaks and on the status of outbreak control.

The post Dr Kamene: NPHI transition on the right track first appeared on KBC.

The post Dr Kamene: NPHI transition on the right track appeared first on KBC.