Lobby groups warn of funding crisis in health

Civil society organisations have predicted a funding crisis in the health sector after classification of Kenya as a middle-income country. In a petition to the World Bank-Kenya, several NGOs in the health sector, said Kenya’s elevation to middle income country does not conform with the reality on the ground. Led by the Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF-Kenya), the NGOs said the elevation will have grave implications on the health sector.

“The middle income classification has compounded on-going socio-economic challenges rather than provide decisive action and a positive turn-around. Designations for Low, Middle and High-Income countries are arbitrarily set by the World Bank based on the countries’ Gross National Income, an approach that grossly understates the extent of poverty in the MICs,” said Dr Wamae Maranga, AHF Kenya Country Director.

They want the World Bank to urgently review the classification process and procedure to reflect the reality on the ground. In its recent classification, Kenya was reclassified as a Middle Income Country (MIC), which means the country will no longer enjoy some assistance from developed countries and donor agencies.

This is further expected to compound negatively in the fight against diseases such as HIV and Aids, malaria and tuberculosis, which highly depend on such aid.