The percentage of HIV treatment and prevention services in Kenya provided by faith-based health providers

ABSTRACT

Although the percentage of health services provided by the faith-based sector in sub-Saharan Africa is often cited along a range from 30% to 70%, depending on the country, such citations tend to be anecdotal and without reference to actual analysis of health service data. This article reports on a secondary analysis of health service data in Kenya to determine the percentage of HIV services provided by faith-based health providers. It then discusses the contributions of faith-based providers in light of these data, identifying opportunities and challenges involved in efforts to ensure that the resources of the faith-based sector are maximised.

Bien que le pourcentage des services de santé dispensés par le secteur confessionnel en Afrique subsaharienne soit souvent évoqué comme étant, selon le pays, de 30 à 70 %, ces estimations tendent, d'une manière générale, à être anecdotiques, sans être étayées par l'analyse réelle des données sur les services de santé. Cet article rend compte d'une analyse secondaire des données sur les services de santé au Kenya, dans le but de déterminer le pourcentage de services de soin du VIH fournis par les prestataires confessionnels. Ensuite, il traite des contributions de ces mêmes prestataires à la lumière de ces données, en identifiant les opportunités et les difficultés qui se présentent alors que des efforts sont menés pour garantir la maximisation des ressources du secteur confessionnel.

En el África subsahariana, se calcula que el porcentaje de servicios de salud proporcionados por el sector religioso fluctúa en un rango de 30% a 70%, dependiendo del país de que se trate. Sin embargo, estas cifras suelen ser anecdóticas y no se fundamentan en el análisis de datos reales relacionados con el área de salud. Para determinar el porcentaje de servicios vinculados al vih suministrados por proveedores de salud religiosos, el presente artículo expone un análisis secundario de datos sobre los servicios de salud en Kenia. Asimismo, a partir de dicho análisis examina los aportes realizados por los proveedores confesionales, identificando oportunidades y retos relacionados con los esfuerzos encaminados a asegurar que los recursos del sector religioso produzcan el máximo rendimiento.

KEYWORDS:

• Civil society – Partnership
• Social sector – HIV/AIDS and sexual health
• Health
• Sub-Saharan Africa

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

John Blevins is an Associate Research Professor in the Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, with a secondary appointment in the Graduate Division of Religion, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA. He is Acting Director of the Interfaith Health Program at the Rollins School of Public Health.

Mimi Kiser is an Assistant Research Professor in the Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, and is the Senior Program Director of the Interfaith Health Program at the Rollins School of Public Health.

Emily Lemon is a Public Health Associate at the Interfaith Health Program, Rollins School of Public Health.

Ahoua Kone is a Public Health Associate at the Interfaith Health Program, Rollins School of Public Health.

Notes

1 Following adoption of a new constitution in 2010, Kenya instituted counties as the sub-national political unit in the country, replacing the earlier model that divided the country into provinces. The new constitution stipulates that various governmental services, including health services, be administered at the county level; this reflects a process of devolution in which a greater percentage of the administration of government services is carried out by elected officials at the county level rather than concentrated in the nation’s capital of Nairobi.

2 For the purposes of this article, a faith-based health provider (FBHP) is defined as a health facility or network that identifies itself as faith-based. This could include facilities administered under national health networks such as the Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK) or a standalone facility owned by and administered by a religious entity such as Coptic Hospital in Nairobi, which is owned by the Coptic Church. A faith-based organisation is defined as any type of organisation providing services in the community that identifies itself as faith-based. Faith-based organisations may offer a variety of services, including but not limited to health services.

3 The supply chain mechanism supported by faith-based health networks in Kenya is called MEDS, or Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies. For information on the services and reach of MEDS, see www.meds.or.ke.

Additional information

Funding

Research described in this article was carried out as part of the activities of the academic consortium of the PEPFAR-UNAIDS Faith Initiative.