By S, KNA
Kenya’s ambitious drive to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030 has received a major boost following the adoption of an innovative community-based model in Kilifi County.
The initiative, dubbed Health Information Points (HIPs), is accelerating the achievement of Primary Health Care (PHC) by bringing essential services closer to residents at the grassroots level.
HIPs model was developed by the North Coast Medical Training College (NCMTC) in Kilifi County. It serves as a Level One health facility component and a central coordination point for healthcare and project activities at the community level. Through HIPs, services have been decentralised and brought closer to households.
The HIPs are strategically located, easily accessible, tent-like structures that function as fixed points where residents can access basic healthcare services near their homes daily. So far, 19 counties have visited Kilifi to benchmark the innovation.
The Community Health Promotion Fund (CHPF) is scaling up efforts to strengthen PHC in Bomani location, Kilifi South, leveraging the model to enhance health intelligence under its UHC programme.
Speaking during the second Annual Community Health workshop in Mombasa, Edward Mumbo, the PHC Coordinator in Kilifi County, said significant progress has been made, with seven PHC networks established to make services more accessible and affordable to the community.
Despite these gains, Mumbo noted that the county faces a shortage of Family Physicians, which is slowing the full realisation of PHC. “If they were in sufficient numbers, each network would have its own physician. It would be beneficial, as more people would be reached,” he said.
He lauded support from stakeholders and called for more coordinated efforts to ensure communities have access to cost-effective healthcare services.
The coordinator also revealed that many residents have yet to register for Taifa Care, administered by the Social Health Authority, resulting in high medical bills when they are referred to higher-level facilities.
“As stakeholders, we must collaborate to strengthen PHC at the grassroots so residents can benefit and improve their well-being,” he stated.
CHPF Programme Manager, Addah Alela echoed these sentiments, emphasising that the most vulnerable populations are found at the community level and that focusing on grassroots interventions accelerates PHC delivery.
“That granular information at the grassroots is what will help us in health planning. It will help us identify outbreaks and track trends. By focusing on PHC, which is now at the heart of the community in advancing UHC, we can respond more effectively,” said Alela.
CHPF is keen to utilise the HIPs model to strengthen PHC and advance UHC. If it achieves the desired outcomes, the model will be replicated in other counties.
“Our call to action is to extend this model elsewhere because it is effectively addressing community health challenges,” she added.
NCMTC staff and CHPF teams collaborate during weekdays to provide a range of health promotion services, with HIPs also supporting dispensary outreach programmes.
NCMTC Managing Director, Reuben Waswa, said the college, located in a semi-rural area, is committed to complementing CHPF’s efforts through innovation to help achieve UHC by 2030.
He described HIPs as simple tent-like structures that nonetheless play a critical role in community health service delivery. “We hope that once we promote it, it will be adopted in other areas because it addresses many of the challenges facing the current health system,” said Waswa.
“For instance, it reduces the distance people travel to access health information. Information is vital because medicine alone cures but does not necessarily create health. Health information empowers community members to make informed decisions about their well-being,” he added.
Wycliff Ogenya from the Ministry of Health noted that HIPs play a crucial role in early disease detection, prevention and health promotion.
“It clearly demonstrates that community participation and service delivery are at the centre of this intervention, enhancing Primary Health Care,” he said, adding that the innovation should be scaled up.
