Naema Celestine 
ABIGAELY WANJALA
A nation’s wealth lies in the health of it’s people and in the pursuit of well-being, health security is a cornerstone that fortifies against uncertainties of health diseases.
According to a Community Health Officer, Kenya like many other nations is still grappling with the ever present infectious diseases, at the same time our medical infrastructures are inadequate especially the medical facilities and personnel which hurdles in providing timely healthcare services.
However, as per the CHO ,on a positive note Kenya has made significant strides in intervening some challenges especially the recent launch of the Universal Health Coverage which aims to provide medical services even at grassroot levels.
Additionally the nation is embracing technical advancements which have assisted a lot in providing medication to even some complex diseases.
The health sector has also improved free vaccination programs on immunisable diseases and free screening programs on diseases like cancer among others to combat them.
She further added saying that the government on a it’s part has actively worked on international programs through organizations like WHO , UNICEF, AMPATH, NGOs and USAID among others, in order to improve on disease surveillance, response capabilities and overall health system resilience.
The CHO advised that envisioning Kenya’s health security, it’s crucial to confront our challenges head on by investing in healthcare infrastructures, bridging educational awareness gaps in community and improving on surveillance on disease vulnerability.
At the same time it is key to leverage on our strengths by making more advancements on vaccination programs, embracing and harnessing healthcare innovations and technology and strengthening more international collaborations and partnerships with organizations.
Narrowing down to Bungoma county where netizens had mixed reactions on the county’s state of health for instance provision of free antiretroviral drugs for HIV and AIDS infected patients, delayed NHIF services by prioritizing cash paying patients over NHIF users, availability of medical services and ambulances even in rural areas and lastly lack of educational awareness on drugs and substance abuse in communities, schools and even among youths.
