HENNET calls for Increased Allocation towards Maternal Healthcare

By Shadrack Nyakoe

Health Lobby group is now calling on the government to implement the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) that was signed last year.

The Health NGOs Network (HENNET) says that implementation of PMNCH will help in improving maternal care for women in Kenya.

According to Dr. Mercy Onsando the Chief Executive at HENNET, there is need for a collaboration among the healthcare sector players to structure ways and set frameworks on how they can engage going forward.

“Donors are exiting and we are now in new level of development as a country and there is no way we will continue depending on them to fund our healthcare.” Said Dr. Onsando.

Onsando was speaking during a parliamentary and Stakeholder Engagement on Resource Mobilization & Accountability of the health sector.

“Our engagements are focused at facilitating parliamentary oversight to ensure accountability for the commitments made by the Government of Kenya to the PMNCH Call to Action on COVID-19 & RMNCAH +N   needs in general,” Added Dr. Onsando

HENNET has been raising awareness among the government decision makers, donors, and the broader country multi-stakeholder platform members on the urgent need to support the Global Financing Facility (GFF) resource mobilization campaign to raise USD: 1.2 billion by the end of 2021, and USD: 2.5 billion by 2025, and seek their support/action.

The fund supports countries to address the risks associated with the secondary health crisis resulting from the continuing COVID-19 pandemic – lack of access to essential women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health services, while buildinging a strong and resilient primary healthcare system.

Dr. Onsando says that the deliberations with the health sector decision makers such as MPS and the government will help figure out frameworks to ensure that commitments can be contextualized and implemented.

Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi acknowledges that duplication of roles in the sector has remained a challenge that’s weighing down up scaling and implementation of health initiatives

“We are here meeting as stakeholders in the sector to see how we can ensure more domestic resources are allocated to these key health sectors. Currently we are finalizing the donor transition plan that outlines steps and processes that the government will take to ensure that we transition such that more resources are allocated from treasury,” said Mwangangi

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