Timeline of healthcare in Kenya
This is a timeline of healthcare in Kenya, focusing especially on modern science-based medicine healthcare. Major events such as crises, policies and organizations are included.
Contents
Big Picture
Period | Key developments |
---|---|
Prior to 1888 | Tribal medicine is performed in the territory. Use of herbal medicines by some tribes dates back to as far as 3000 BC.[1] |
1888–1962 | Under British rule, modern hospitals start to be founded, beginning with Mombasa Hospital and Kenyatta National Hospital. User fees are introduced in all public facilities.[2] |
1963–1980s | After independence from Great Britain, Kenya works with the purpose of attaining a universal healthcare system. Notwithstanding uneven results, in this period the number of healthcare facilities quadruple and life expectancy extends from 40 to 62 years. Child survival rates also improve.[3] |
1990s–2000s | Both a previous economic crisis and the intensification of the HIV/AIDS epidemics in Africa hit dramatically the Kenyan population and many past achievements and improvements are reversed. Life expectancy declines and infant mortality increases.[3] |
2000s–present | Adult HIV prevalence starts to fall and an increasing financial support from donors stop the reversal of health rates. Life expectancy returns to its ascending trend.[3][4] |
Full timeline
Year/period | Type of Event | Event | Location |
---|---|---|---|
1882-1884 | Crisis | Famine breaks out in Kenya, and smallpox epidemic follows. Mortality rate is estimated to be massive.[5] | |
1891 | Organization (hospital) | Mombasa Hospital is founded.[6] | Mombasa |
1898 | Crisis | Smallpox epidemic occurs in Kenya, again during a famine. The combination is estimated to have killed up to half of the entire population of the country at the time.[5] | |
1900 | Policy | The colonial government passes the East Africa Plague Ordinance in response to earlier outbreaks of bubonic plague.[5] | |
1901 | Organization (hospital) | Kenyatta National Hospital is founded.[7] | Nairobi |
1906 | Policy | The colonial government passes the Plague and Cholera Ordinance in response to frequent plagues in Kisumu. Segregation zoning laws are implemented.[5] | |
1908 | Organization (hospital) | P.C.E.A. Kikuyu Hospital is founded.[6] | Kikuyu |
1909 | Organization (hospital) | P.C.E.A. Tumutumu Hospital is founded.[6] | Karatina |
1910 | Organization (hospital) | Mathari Hospital is founded. Even today it is the only psychiatric hospital in Kenya.[8] | Nairobi |
1914 | Organization (hospital) | Nairobi Hospital is founded.[9] | Nairobi |
1915 | Organization (hospital) | A.I.C. Kijabe Hospital is founded.[6] | Kijabe |
1918 | Crisis | Spanish influenza is introduced in Kenya through the port of Mombasa, devastating much of the country. By 1919, the death toll reaches more than 5.5 percent of the Kenyan population.[5] | |
1937 | Organization (hospital) | Consolata Hospital is founded.[6] | Nyeri |
1942 | Crisis | Bubonic plague breaks out and kills 529 people.[5] | Nairobi |
1944 | Organization (hospital) | Aga Khan Hospital, Mombasa founded.[10] | Mombasa |
1953 | Policy | A Division of Health Education (DHE) is created.[11] | |
1957 | Organization (hospital) | Nanyuki Cottage Hospital is founded.[12] | Nanyuki |
1957 | Organization (hospital) | Aga Khan Hospital Kisumu is founded.[6] | Kisumu |
1958 | Organization (hospital) | Aga Khan Hospital Nairobi is founded.[13] | Nairobi |
1962 | Policy | The Family Planning Association of Kenya is established, with the Ministry of Health taking coordination and supervisory roles.[11] | |
1963 | Political change | Kenya gains independence from Great Britain. The new government proposes to provide free healthcare for the entire population, in the belief that a healthy population could boast economic development.[3][14] | |
1965 | Policy | Kenya formalizes its "free care for all" plan and abolishes using fees for people seeking care in public clinics, which is managed at the local level. Health services are provided for free and funded predominantly through tax revenue.[2][3] | |
1966 | Policy | An insurance scheme is established. Kenyans who are formally employed and whose income exceeds a set threshold participate in the National Hospital Insurance Fund.[3] | |
1967 | Policy | The National Family Planning Program – the first for a sub-Saharan African country – is launched and managed by NGO Family Planning Association of Kenya.[11] | |
1971 | Crisis | First cholera epidemic occurs in Kenya. After this outbreak, cholera epidemics erupt somewhere in Kenya almost annually.[5] | |
1976 | Policy | Formal training of health education officers begins, though main attention is focused in reducing fertility rates.[11] | |
1982 | Policy | The National Council for Population and Development (NCPD) is established in order to reform the program to integrate maternal and child health services.[11] | |
1984 | Crisis | First HIV/AIDS patient is identified in Kenya.[5] | |
1984 | Organization (hospital) | Mariakani Cottage Hospital is founded.[15] | South B |
1989 | Policy | User fees are introduced in all levels of care due to failure to sustain universal healthcare. Poor economic performance, inadequate financial resources and declining budgets are some of the reasons given to justify the introduction of user fees.[2][11][16] | |
1990 | Policy | User fees are suspended in all public health facilities. Waivers and exemption are put in place to protect the poor and vulnerable. Poor policy design and implementation lead to failure.[2][16] | |
1991 | Policy | User fees are reintroduced in phases. Children under five, special conditions/services like immunisation and tuberculosis are exempted from payment. User fees continue to exist in Kenya at all levels of care.[2][16] | |
1994 | Policy | The Government of Kenya (GOK) approves the Kenya Health Policy Framework (KHPF) in order to develop and manage health services.[17] | |
1994 | Organization (hospital) | Metropolitan Hospital is founded.[18] | Eastlands |
1994 | Achievement | Kenya’s last indigenous case of dracunculiasis is reported.[19] | |
1994 | Report | The first National Health Accounts report shows that government's share of national health expenditure covers the 29%, donors 8%, households 53% and private firms 10%.[11] | |
1995 | Organization | The AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance project (APHIA) is launched in Kenya by USAID in order to support the integrated delivery of health services, including: HIV/AIDS; maternal, child and neonatal health; reproductive health; family planning; malaria and tuberculosis.[20] | |
1995 | Organization (hospital) | MEWA Hospital is founded.[21] | Mombasa |
1996 | Policy/organization | The Kenya Health Policy Framework Implementation Action Plan is developed and the Health Sector Reform Secretariat (HSRS) is established.[17] | |
1997 | Organization (hospital) | Diani Beach Hospital is founded.[6] | Diani |
1997 | Crisis | HIV is declared a national disaster by the Kenyan government. 1 million people are positive out of a total population of 29 million at the time.[5] | |
1997 | Organization (hospital) | Barnet Memorial Hospital is founded.[6] | Kabarnet |
1998 | Organization (hospital) | AIC-CURE Children's Hospital is founded.[22] | |
2001 | Organization (hospital) | The Nairobi Women's Hospital- Hurlingham is founded.[23] | Nairobi |
2001 | Report | The number of hospitals/maternities reaches 500, in addition to 611 health centers throughout the country.[17] | |
2001 | Organization (hospital) | Coast Hospice hospital is founded.[6] | Mombasa |
2001 | Organization | Barchando HIV/AIDS and Poverty Eradication Group is established with the purpose of curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Barchando community.[24] | Siaya County |
2001-2002 | Report | Out-of-pocket payments contribute to the 51.1% of total health expenditure in Kenya. Government spending accounts for 29.6% and Donors' contributions account for 16%.[16] | |
2002 | Report | Kenya spends 5.1% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on healthcare, compared to an average of 9.8% for the OECD during the same period.[14] | |
2003 | Report | Malaria is found to be the most common diagnosis in both out-patient and in-patient care.[14] | |
2003 | Organization | USAID launches the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The program is focused on prevention, treatment and care.[25] | |
2004 | Policy | The Minister for Health Charity declares a new policy for user fees at primary healthcare facilities. The policy declaration states that all services needed/rendered (including diagnosis, lab and pharmaceuticals) would cost only KSh 10 and KSh 20, respectively, at the dispensary level (the lowest level of healthcare in Kenya) and at the health center level (the second level of healthcare facility). Children under five, the poor, special conditions/services like malaria and tuberculosis are exempted from payment.[2][11] | |
2005-2006 | Report | Out-of-pocket payments contribute to the 35.9% of total health expenditure in Kenya. Government spending accounts for 29.3% and Donors' contributions account for 31%.[16] | |
2007 | Policy | All fees for deliveries at public health facilities are abolished.[2] | |
2007 | Policy | Kenya articulates a strategic approach to facilitate partnerships for health and starts to receive funds from the World Bank, the World Health Organization and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) to facilitate health-related planning and expenditure tracking.[3] | |
2008 | Organization (NGO) | Better Poverty Eradication Organisation is established. One of its main activities include developing HIV/AIDS prevention strategies and assisting with income generation in Kenya.[26] | |
2009 | Organization (hospital) | The Nairobi Women's Hospital-Adams is founded.[27] | Nairobi |
2009 | Report | 6% of adults are infected with HIV/AIDS, (compared to 8% in 2001).[28] | |
2009 | Policy | The National school-based deworming programme (NSBDP) is launched jointly by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), the Ministry of Health (MoH) and funded by the Children's Investment Fund Foundation with the purpose of eliminating Soil-transmitted helminthiasis and schistosomiasis as a national public health problem in Kenya.[29] | |
2010 | Policy | A health sector services fund (HSSF) that compensates facilities for lost revenue associated with user fee removal is introduced. Dispensaries and health centers receive funds directly into their bank accounts from the treasury.[2] | |
2010 | Policy | New Constitution of Kenya replaces the 1969 constitution. It states a legal framework to ensure a comprehensive rights-based approach to healthcare. It provides that "every person has a right to the highest attainable standard of health, which includes reproductive health rights". It further states that "a person shall not be denied emergency medical treatment and that the State shall provide appropriate social security to persons who are unable to support themselves and their dependents".[30] | |
2011 | Organization | The government of Kenya enters into an alliance with the Peace Corps, USAID, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify a workable strategy for healthcare in the country.[31] | |
2014 | Organization | The World Bank, along with other global partners, launches the 2014-2018 Kenya Country Partnership Strategy, with aims at providing greater access to healthcare and wellness services in Kenya. Women and girls living in poverty, in addition to maternal, neonatal and under-5 mortality, are special targets for the organization.[31] | |
2016 | Report | Life expectancy in Kenya is estimated at 64.02 years, being ranked 188th out of 228 political subdivisions.[32] |
Numerical and visual data
Google Scholar
The following table summarizes per-year mentions on Google Scholar as of June 5, 2021.
Year | healthcare in Kenya | traditional medicine in Kenya | malaria in Kenya | HIV in Kenya |
---|---|---|---|---|
1980 | 12 | 372 | 328 | 83 |
1985 | 12 | 508 | 501 | 80 |
1990 | 63 | 824 | 649 | 477 |
1995 | 171 | 1,420 | 1,030 | 1,130 |
2000 | 751 | 2,440 | 2,140 | 2,880 |
2002 | 1,080 | 3,140 | 3,080 | 4,410 |
2004 | 1,740 | 4,490 | 3,940 | 9,310 |
2006 | 2,290 | 4,710 | 5,050 | 11,700 |
2008 | 3,850 | 6,370 | 6,430 | 14,700 |
2010 | 5,510 | 8,270 | 7,690 | 17,000 |
2012 | 8,280 | 10,800 | 9,480 | 19,900 |
2014 | 11,800 | 13,300 | 11,100 | 23,200 |
2016 | 14,700 | 15,200 | 11,400 | 23,400 |
2017 | 16,200 | 16,100 | 11,800 | 23,900 |
2018 | 18,400 | 16,800 | 11,800 | 24,300 |
2019 | 20,000 | 17,400 | 11,700 | 24,400 |
2020 | 24,100 | 19,400 | 12,200 | 26,300 |
Google Trends
The image below shows Google Trends data for Healthcare in Kenya (Search term), from January 2004 to February 2021, when the screenshot was taken. Interest is also ranked by country and displayed on world map. [33]
Google Ngram Viewer
The chart below shows Google Ngram Viewer data for Healthcare in Kenya, from 1950 to 2019.[34]
Wikipedia Views
The chart below shows pageviews of the English Wikipedia article Healthcare in Kenya, on desktop, mobile-web, desktop-spider, mobile-web-spider and mobile app, from July 2015 to January 2021.[35]
See also
- Health in Kenya
- Healthcare in Kenya
- Timeline of healthcare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Timeline of global health
References
- ↑ P G Kareru, G M Kenji, A N Gachanja, J M Keriko, G Mungaic (2006). "Traditional Medicines Among the Embu and Mbeere Peoples of Kenya". Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. 4: 75–86. PMC 2816425. PMID 20162075.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Chuma, J; Okungu, V (2011). "Table1 - Development of health care financing policies in Kenya". International Journal for Equity in Health. 10: 22. PMC 3129586. PMID 21612669. doi:10.1186/1475-9276-10-22. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Kenya: The Big Picture on Health". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "Life expectancy at birth, total (years)". worldbank.org. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 "7 Most Devastating Epidemics in Kenya's History". Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 "Hospitals in Kenya". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "Kenyatta National Hospital". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ Njenga, Frank (2002). "Focus on psychiatry in East Africa". The British Journal of Psychiatry. 181 (4): 354–359. doi:10.1192/bjp.181.4.354. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "Nairobi Hospital". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "Aga Khan Hospital". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 "Healthcare Policy Administration and Reforms in Post-Colonial Kenya andChallenges for the Future" (PDF). Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "Nanyuki Cottage Hospital". Kijani Kenya Trust. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "The Aga Khan Hospitals". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Healthcare in Kenya". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "Mariakani Cottage Hospital". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Jane Chuma, Vincent Okungu (2011). "Viewing the Kenyan health system through an equity lens: implications for universal coverage". Int J Equity Health. 10: 22. PMC 3129586. PMID 21612669. doi:10.1186/1475-9276-10-22.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Overview of the Health System in Kenya" (PDF). Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "Metropolitan Hospital". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "Dracunculiasis eradication: WHO ready to verify Kenya and Sudan". Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- ↑ "Kenya history". Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- ↑ "mewa". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "cure". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "The Nairobi Women's Hospital- Hurlingham". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "KENYA: Barchando HIV/AIDS and Poverty Eradication Group". Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- ↑ "Education and Healthcare Access in Kenya". Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- ↑ "Better Poverty Eradication Organisation". Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- ↑ "Nairobi Women's Hospital". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ "Kenya, Poverty & Healthcare". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ Simon J Brooker, Charles S Mwandawiro, Katherine E Halliday, Sammy M Njenga, Carlos Mcharo, Paul M Gichuki, Beatrice Wasunna, Jimmy H Kihara, Doris Njomo, Dorcas Alusala, Athuman Chiguzo, Hugo C Turner, Caroline Teti, Claire Gwayi-Chore, Birgit Nikolay, James E Truscott, T Déirdre Hollingsworth, Dina Balabanova, Ulla K Griffiths, Matthew C Freeman, Elizabeth Allen, Rachel L Pullan, Roy M Anderson. "Interrupting transmission of soil-transmitted helminths: a study protocol for cluster randomised trials evaluating alternative treatment strategies and delivery systems in Kenya". Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- ↑ "Kenya Health Policy2014–2030". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Struggles Facing the Kenyan Health Care System". Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- ↑ "The World: Life Expectancy (2016)". Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- ↑ "Healthcare in Kenya". Google Trends. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Healthcare in Kenya". books.google.com. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ↑ "Healthcare in Kenya". wikipediaviews.org. Retrieved 24 February 2021.