SOME Sh60 billion from the Health ministry budget will be allocated to county governments for medical services, Cabinet secretary James Macharia said yesterday.
He said the ministry had requested Sh160 billion,
but Treasury has allocated it Sh98 billion which will be shared out for operations in the 47 counties.
The national government will be left with Sh34 billion.
"Although the resources are little, the ministry will strive to cope with what is available," Macharia said.
He said even though financing is pertinent to handle the issues in the health sector, planning on short term, mid and long term strategies is a better way of managing the present challenges in health.
Macharia was speaking at a Nairobi hotel during the start of a conference to device strategies on neglected diseases in Africa.
There are 17 diseases under the category of neglected diseases which are prevalent in developing countries.
In Africa, Macharia said, they include sleeping sickness, HIV/Aids, Malaria, Kalazar and Tuberculosis.
"The economic impact caused by these diseases is difficult to asses. But, we know that Africa is losing billions of dollars each year, keeping millions in a vicious circle of diseases and poverty," he said.
The conference is putting emphasis on research which has been in place for the last ten years.
Macharia said there is need to show the government that money spent on medical services will always be higher if there are no research activities.
He also asked county government budgets and the private sector through their corporate social responsibility programmes to factor research activities.
The Kenya Medical of Research Institute the host of the conference gets a budget of Sh1 billion which is not enough to include research.
Kemri director, Solomon Mpoke said the numbers in terms of deaths caused by neglected diseases are huge.
He pointed that if Kenya can manage to reduce malaria deaths by 30 percent it will be okay.
Mpoke said if Kemri got Sh11 billion a lot of research activities on diseases will be carried out.
