Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to flag-off 80 ambulances which are being sent to various parts of our country.

This event underlines the commitment of my Government to expand and improve the delivery of healthcare services to all Kenyans. I am confident that these new ambulances and medical kits will go a long way towards building on the achievements we have recorded in the health sector.

Over the last 4 years, the government has substantially increased the level of funding to the health sector. In 2002, for instance, the overall health budget amounted to about 10 billion shillings. This financial year, the budget for the health sector stands at 32 billion shillings, which is about 11 percent of our national budget.

Due to the investments we are making, health indicators, which were on the decline over the past two decades, are now showing positive trends. Immunization coverage is now at 68 percent up from 57 percent in 2003, while HIV prevalence has come down to 6.1 percent from 14 percent in 2000.

These achievements testify to our commitment to progressively improve the state of health services in the country. I am encouraged that the health sector is moving forward towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The increased resources being allocated by the government have been directed towards meeting the critical needs of our health sector. This year, for example, the Government has allocated 1.8 billion shillings for procurement of medical equipment.

Each health centre and dispensary will receive a diagnostic set of equipment including Blood Pressure machines and delivery kits. In addition, hospitals will receive the most critical items such as X-ray machines and theatre tables based on their priorities.

With regard to essential drugs, Government allocations have also increased from 1.9 billion shillings to 2.5 billion Shillings this financial year. Thirty percent of these funds are earmarked for drug kits to support rural health facilities, where majority of our people live.

This strategy aims at ensuring that the poor who are primarily served by dispensaries and health centers can access basic health services. As a result of these initiatives, vulnerable members of our communities who could not access healthcare services are now able to do so.

In this regard, I am pleased to note that the Constituency Development Fund is contributing immensely towards the expansion of healthcare facilities in rural areas. To-date, over 1,000 dispensaries have been constructed. The Government is in the process of gazetting and staffing these facilities to ensure that they become operational.

With respect to improvement of healthcare institutions, my Government has invested one billion shillings for rehabilitation of health facilities. This has given a facelift and basic amenities to our health facilities.

We will continue with the rehabilitation programme for health facilities in order to ensure that healthcare services are provided in an environment that is conducive to both patients and health workers. In addition to these measures, the Government is investing more than 500 million shillings annually to support procurement of reproductive health facilities and vaccines.

I would like to urge parents to present their children for immunization. This will reduce illnesses from preventable diseases, which are a major cause of child mortality. My Government is aware that effective healthcare delivery requires well-functioning referral hospitals. For this reason, we are continuing to allocate significant resources to both Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.

The Government also intends to beef up the stock of ambulances to improve the referral system. This year, 150 ambulances will be procured and distributed to all district hospitals and selected Faith Based health facilities.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The biggest challenge facing the health sector is inadequate manpower. The health sector requires an additional 7,000 health workers in order to operate optimally. The government is systematically addressing this undesirable situation. Last year, the Government employed a total of 3,080 health workers on contract arrangements. These workers will be absorbed into the mainstream civil service once their contracts expire.

Further, the Government has recruited all the 385 doctors and 130 clinical officers who finished their internship training last year. A further 1,000 health workers of different cadres will be recruited this year. We will endeavour to employ more health workers to close the existing gap as the performance of the economy improves.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

One of the critical disease challenges we are facing is malaria. The disease is a major burden in our hospitals. It is for this reason that in November last year, I launched a campaign on the use of long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets. The Government will continue distributing nets to pregnant mothers and children. In addition, we will intensify efforts to reduce mosquito density through spraying and other measures.

I want to urge communities in malaria prone areas to adopt the nets which have been proved to be effective in protecting the users against mosquito bites and reducing malaria cases. In addition to malaria, HIV/AIDS continues to be a critical health challenge in the country. I am encouraged to note that the prevalence rate has dropped to 6.1 percent from 14 percent in 2000. In spite of this reduction, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to pose serious health as well as social and economic challenges.

We must, therefore, re-double our efforts in preventing further infections. With respect to the infected, we will continue doing all we can to ensure more people are placed under Anti-Retroviral treatment.

During the last Kenyatta Day celebrations, I announced the free treatment of HIV/AIDS patients in our public health facilities. This has enabled us to provide over 110,000 people with Anti-Retroviral Treatment including 10,000 children.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Government recognizes the contribution of our Development Partners and other stakeholders in strengthening the health sector. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the contribution of the Global Fund, that has given us substantial support in the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. My Government will continue to partner with all stakeholders as we strive to achieve the health Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Accordingly, my Government will continue to support health facilities operated by Faith Based Organizations. The Government has provided a total of 297 million shillings to Faith Based health facilities in the form of medical supplies and personnel.

We will develop a sustainable framework for supporting the Faith Based health facilities, targeting support to those facilities in under-served areas. I am happy to note that 10 of the ambulances that we have flagged-off today are being delivered to Faith-Based Organizations.

As I conclude my remarks, I would like to note that today we also launched the service charter of the Ministry of Health. The charter defines the commitments and obligations of the Health Ministry and the mechanisms for complaint and redress by dissatisfied clients.

This document should be brought to the full attention of health services personnel who must understand their role in achieving the vision of an efficient, professional and high quality healthcare system for our country.

Health sector workers must always bear in mind that they are dealing with people who are weak and vulnerable. They must therefore always be guided by compassion and dedication to the service of others. Cases where doctors or nurses ignore the suffering of patients are painful to hear. Those who commit such acts must never be tolerated in a health system that is professional and dedicated to timely service and courtesy to the patients. It is my hope that with the service charter in place, the relationship of the ministry and key stakeholders will improve.

Finally, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to flag off the ambulances and to officially launch the Service Charter of the Ministry of Health.

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL.