A draft policy promises drastic reforms in the health care sector including attracting more resources and expanding access to medical services.

Notable in the Ministry of Health 2008 - 2012 draft is partnership with the private sector to achieve national health goals. While this is expected to see more private investments in the sector, the public expects the reforms to address corruption in the medical services supply chain ensuring resources are put to intended uses.

The role of the Ministry of Health will be taken over by a proposed Health Service Commission, whose main challenge will be to ensure the Sh40 billion annual budget for the sector yields affordable healthcare for all.

Training of community-based health workers is a key pillar of the draft policy, which seeks to shift health management from curative to preventive approaches. It also seeks to review of National Social Health Insurance Scheme to be in line with the financing strategy for the health sector.

In Kenya, only 1.8 million of a possible six million formal sector workers are insured for medical needs while 230,000 workers from a possible nine million, in the informal sector have bought covers.

An estimated 400,000 workers are enrolled with private medical schemes, meaning nearly nine in 10 workers and their families are yet to adopt modern health financing options.

To raise the coverage, the Kenya Association of Healthcare Organizations has proposed that citizens become paid-up members of a hospital in their locality from where they will access health services.

KAHO is also calling on the Government to allow parallel importation of generic drugs to reduce the cost of medicine. This, it says, would reduce the cost of healthcare 40 per cent, enabling low income earners buy insurance covers as experiences in South Africa and Botswana have shown.

The government reform plan also gives a lot of emphasis on developing a strong health infrastructure plan to guide investments in the health sector. It says the ministry will develop financing and channel health funds direct to health facilities.

Dr Edward Rukwaro, the general manager for AAR Healthcare, sees a partnership between the public and private sector should involve drawing a partnership and investment plan, to which resources would then be harnessed.

Some of the areas where additional investments are needed include risk pooling to increase the 1.5 per cent of Kenyans having medical insurance and health care service delivery.

"We are confident that 7.5-10 per cent of Kenyans can afford a reasonably priced cover," Dr Rukwaro said. More people having insurance covers would ease the burden of healthcare service delivery of the government, relatives and well-wishers of the disposed.

"Economies of scale would in turn see the covers become progressively affordable, increasing access and overall quality of care," Dr Rukwaro explained.

Other avenues for increased investment in the sector include development of cost effective for-profit hospital facilities, local pharmaceutical manufacturing and integration of traditional medicine into conventional healthcare solutions.

Approximately 30 per cent of cost of healthcare relates to pharmaceuticals. Luke Simba, the national chairman of the National Nurses Association of Kenya, says the country should increase the allocation to health from the current nine per cent to the WHO target of 15 per cent of the national budget.

Shortage of medical practitioners has seen charges in private institutions rise to as much of three times those in neighbouring countries. They are also higher than those prevailing in South Africa.

While opening parliament two weeks ago, President Kibaki promised to consolidate the 23 different public health laws into a single Act of Parliament.