Ombere Stephen Okumu
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Maseno University, Maseno 40109, Kenya.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025 Apr 14;22(4):610. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22040610.
Intersectoral collaboration is an instrument that enables better productivity by filling in for possible gaps in knowledge, skills, and competencies in a given department by leveraging them from other departments. In Kenya, there is a paucity of information on intersectoral collaboration in healthcare. This article explores the possibilities of intersectoral collaboration, specifically in maternal healthcare, and what can be done to realize such collaborations to drive universal health coverage (UHC) in Kenya. Free maternity services (FMSs) are among the primary healthcare services that push Kenya towards UHC. In light of the centrality of UHC in driving current health policy, there are still several challenges which must be faced before this goal can be achieved. Moreover, competing priorities in health systems necessitate difficult choices regarding which health actions and investments to fund; these are complex, value-based, and highly political decisions. Therefore, the primary objective of this article is to explore health facility administrators' views on whether intersectoral collaboration could help with the realization of UHC in Kenya. The study area was Kilifi County, Kenya. The article is based on follow-up qualitative research conducted between March and July 2016 and from January to July 2017, and follow-up interviews conducted during COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021. The data are analyzed through a thematic analysis approach. The findings indicate that through , the expanded free maternity services program is one of the possible pathways to UHC. However, participants noted fair representation of stakeholders, distributed leadership, and local participation, considering bargaining power as a key issue that could enhance the realization of UHC in intersectoral collaboration through . These techniques require a bottom-up strategy to establish accountability, a sense of ownership, and trust, which are essential for UHC.
部门间协作是一种手段，通过利用其他部门的知识、技能和能力来填补特定部门可能存在的差距，从而提高生产力。在肯尼亚，关于医疗保健领域部门间协作的信息匮乏。本文探讨了部门间协作的可能性，特别是在孕产妇保健方面，以及为实现此类协作以推动肯尼亚的全民健康覆盖（UHC）可以采取哪些措施。免费孕产妇服务（FMSs）是推动肯尼亚实现全民健康覆盖的主要医疗保健服务之一。鉴于全民健康覆盖在推动当前卫生政策方面的核心地位，在实现这一目标之前仍有几个挑战必须面对。此外，卫生系统中相互竞争的优先事项使得在资助哪些卫生行动和投资方面需要做出艰难选择；这些都是复杂的、基于价值观的且高度政治化的决定。因此，本文的主要目的是探讨卫生设施管理人员对于部门间协作是否有助于在肯尼亚实现全民健康覆盖的看法。研究区域为肯尼亚的基利菲县。本文基于2016年3月至7月以及2017年1月至7月进行的后续定性研究，以及2020年和2021年在新冠疫情期间进行的后续访谈。数据通过主题分析方法进行分析。研究结果表明，通过扩大免费孕产妇服务项目是实现全民健康覆盖的可能途径之一。然而，参与者指出利益相关者的公平代表性、分布式领导和地方参与，认为议价能力是一个关键问题，通过它可以在部门间协作中加强全民健康覆盖的实现。这些技巧需要一种自下而上的策略来建立问责制、主人翁意识和信任，而这对于全民健康覆盖至关重要。
