Health Care in Matangwe - The challenges

The people served by the Matangwe hospital live in abject poverty and suffer many preventable and treatable diseases. Reliance on subsistence farming and fishing for livelihoods along with low gainful employment rates, results in an ongoing weak economy and poor health outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 43% of Kenyan population lives in poverty. Even in 2021, families daily face choosing between food, education, or health care needs.

The leading health challenges include high maternal and child mortality as well as a high burden of infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. The poor health outcomes is demonstrated through the British Biomed Central (BMC) 2019 research report conducted with the target population in Siaya County (location of Matangwe):

“Siaya County performs poorly and worse than national average for several development and health indicators. It’s Human Development Index (HDI) score is 0.46 against a national average of 0.56 [21]. It has the highest HIV (20% vs. 6% national rate), tuberculosis and malaria rates in Kenya; as well as the worst indicators of child and overall health status [20]. Infant mortality rate is 111 per 1000 live births and maternal mortality rates are 695 per 100,000 live births; against Kenyan national average of 49/1000 and 488/100,000 respectively [20, 37]. Thirty eight percent of the population live below the poverty line, which is slightly lower than the national average of 45% [21]”

Health Care Costs

While many types of Health Insurance plans have been available since 1966, access to coverage is limited to less than 20% of the population that have the capacity to co-pay or have employment where employers are required to contribute. While health insurance is made available on a cost-share basis, many members in the community are unable to afford the annual fee of $30 per household. CPG does not turn anyone away and is committed to establishing a health insurance sponsorship program, so that the most vulnerable populations do not have to choose between healthcare or food.

While the Matangwe Hospital operates very efficiently, the funding provided through the National Health Insurance plan, only covers approximately 80% of the costs, relying on funding from CPG to enable the services to continue. Additionally, there is no additional funding for new or replacement equipment and facilities.