The public health and marketing departments took part in a conference and exhibition that was held at Pride Inn Paradise Convention Centre, Mombasa from 2nd to 5th April 2023.The conference whose theme was sustainable public health approaches to health and environmental in 21st century was organized by the Public Health Officers and Technicians Council (PHOTC) and was the 1st public health conference to be held in Kenya.
The Public Health team presented a paper titled “Environmental Sampling for Potential Reservoirs for Nosocomial Pathogens at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral, and Research Hospital, Nairobi County, Kenya” published in the conference book.
The conference was officially opened by H.E Abdulswamad Sharrif Nassir, Governor of Mombasa County who laid emphasis on the need to share evidence, strategies, and experience in health; improve the fight against NCDs and emerging and re-emerging CDs; scale up preventive and promotive health; strengthen collaboration; and increase budget in the health sector across the counties.
The conference was attended by more than 500 delegates from over 25 counties, institutions, parastatals, and higher learning institutions. There were also speakers from South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, and the United Kingdom.
More than 70 research papers were presented at the conference. Various speakers urged the government to invest more in preventive and promotive health; employ more public health officers to support and enhance service delivery so as to achieve Universal Health Coverage(UHC).
It emerged that counties are investing in community health volunteers to help achieve the UHC programme and that implementing field interventions and solutions, use of evidence-based approaches, sharing of good practices, and building stronger partnerships with the private sector are key in enhancing preventing and promotive health.
Various contributors urged County Governments to employ more public health officers to support and enhance service delivery and achieve the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).It emerged that counties are investing in community health volunteers to help achieve the UHC programme.
We also learnt that implementing field interventions and solutions, use of evidence-based approaches, sharing of good practices, and building stronger partnerships with private sector are key in enhancing preventing and promotive health. It was noted that while COVID-19 was a catastrophe it had its positive effects such as significant reduction of communicable diseases such as Cholera.
To host the conference, the Public Health Officers and Technicians Council (PHOTC) partnered with the: Ministry of Health, the Council of Governor, the Kenya Red Cross Society, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Finnish Red Cross, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Muenzer Kenya, Kenya Nutritionists & Dieticians Institute (KNDI), Africa One Health University Network (AFROHUN), Mount Kenya University, Kabarak University and Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH).