Security of a society largely depends on its health. Kenya’s current health system is poorly functional, expensive, very poor quality and wasteful. FORD-Asili wishes to see all Kenyans accessing high quality and affordable health-care services in facilities whose proximities are not burdensome. The aim of the party is to ensure that all Kenyans are provided health service as basic necessity equal to food and shelter because the party realises that there are three basic diseases: Physical; Psychological; Spiritual.

The first two diseases need nutritional and medicinal supplements while the last may from time to time require spiritual and psychological counsel. The party has noted with concern that for every sick Kenyan there are more than five Kenyans whose time is spent tending to their sick and remain unproductive for as long as the patient remains indisposed. Many members of FORD-Asili aver that the service to the sick is caused by the fact that the clinics, health centres and hospitals are ill equipped and personal attention from workers extremely wanting. FORD-Asili will invest in a health programme that addresses the following areas:

FORD-Asili will strive to create a hierarchical referral system, which ensures that patients are attended to at the correct level of their health problem. The public will be educated on how to use the system effectively from the clinic level to the Specialized/Referral Hospitals. A National Health Insurance Programme will be in place to ensure that patients invest in their health financing right from the time of birth. Citizens must not carry health-financial burdens, as the health of the citizen is responsibility of state and society. The party has also recognised a trend in the country that has discrimnated against a category of patients, vis, renal, heart, and other cronic diseases. FORD-Asili wishes to state that all these diseases, some curable while others are not must be managed by the state as the costs are forbidding and out of reach for majority of citizens. The party will strive to delvelop a policy for a National Last Respects Programme to cater for the disposal of those who die in a manageable way and at low cost. The party aims to reduce the cost by more than sixty per centum through decentralized system.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Proper nutrition is the key to low national health budget. FORD-Asili will work to introduce a national nutrition programme and link it up with the food security programme to ensure that majority of Kenyans easily access adequate high quality balanced food at all times.

High quality health care cannot be assured with the low level technology in use today in Kenya’s public health service. FORD Asili will initially embark on a health technology importation programme to upgrade our systems to world-class levels by 2017. In the long term, local research and development of medical technology will be encouraged for national consumption and export to other African countries.