Abstract
BackgroundIn Kenya, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) accounted for more than 10% of total deaths and 4% of total Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) in 2015 with a steady increase over the past decade. The main objective of this paper was to review the existing policies and their content in relation to prevention, control and management of CVDs at primary health care (PHC) level in Kenya.MethodsA targeted document search in Google engine using keywords “Kenya national policy on cardiovascular diseases” and “Kenya national policy on non-communicable diseases (NCDs)” was conducted in addition to key informant interviews with Kenyan policy makers. Relevant regional and international policy documents were also included. The contents of documents identified were reviewed to assess how well they aligned with global health policies on CVD prevention, control and management. Thematic content analysis of the key informant interviews was also conducted to supplement the document reviews.ResultsA total of 17 documents were reviewed and three key informants interviewed. Besides the Tobacco Control Act (2007), all policy documents for CVD prevention, control and management were developed after 2013. The national policies were preceded by global initiatives and guidelines and were similar in content with the global policies. The Kenya health policy (2014–2030), The Kenya Health Sector Strategic and Investment Plan (2014–2018) and the Kenya National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable diseases (2015–2020) had strategies on NCDs including CVDs. Other policy documents for behavioral risk factors (The Tobacco Control Act 2007, Alcoholic Drinks Control (Licensing) Regulations (2010)) were available. The National Nutrition Action Plan (2012–2017) was available as a draft. Although Kenya has a tiered health care system comprising primary healthcare, integration of CVD prevention and control at PHC level was not explicitly mentioned in the policy documents.ConclusionThis review revealed important gaps in the policy environment for prevention, control and management of CVDs in PHC settings in Kenya. There is need to continuously engage the ministry of health and other sectors to prioritize inclusion of CVD services in PHC.
Highlights
In Kenya, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) accounted for more than 10% of total deaths and 4% of total Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) in 2015 with a steady increase over the past decade
Among all Non Communicable Disease (NCD), cardiovascular diseases were responsible for 17.6 million deaths worldwide in 2015, with 75% of all CVD deaths occurring in developing countries [2]
Global initiatives such as the “Package of Essential NCD (PEN) interventions for primary care in low-resource settings”, [3, 4], a political declaration made by the United Nations high-level meeting for NCD prevention and control to strengthen primary PHC and recommendations for diagnosis and management of cancer, diabetes, heart diseases, stroke and chronic diseases for primary health care in low-resource settings in 2012 [5], were the first evidence of an increased global recognition of PHC as an important entry point for CVD prevention, control and management
Summary
In Kenya, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) accounted for more than 10% of total deaths and 4% of total Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) in 2015 with a steady increase over the past decade. Among all NCDs, cardiovascular diseases were responsible for 17.6 million deaths worldwide in 2015, with 75% of all CVD deaths occurring in developing countries [2]. Global initiatives such as the “Package of Essential NCD (PEN) interventions for primary care in low-resource settings”, [3, 4], a political declaration made by the United Nations high-level meeting for NCD prevention and control to strengthen primary PHC and recommendations for diagnosis and management of cancer, diabetes, heart diseases, stroke and chronic diseases for primary health care in low-resource settings in 2012 [5], were the first evidence of an increased global recognition of PHC as an important entry point for CVD prevention, control and management. The key components at primary health level proposed are summarized as HEARTS: Healthy lifestyle (counselling on tobacco cessation, diet, physical activity and self-care), Evidence-based treatment protocols, Access to essential medicine and technology, Riskbased management, Team-based care and task-sharing and Systems for monitoring
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
