FORGET A SOUND ECONOMY, IT SERVES NO PURPOSE IF YOU ARE NOT HEALTHY

BY WOLFGANG FENGLER , WORLD BANK LEAD ECONOMIST FOR KENYA,RWANDA, ERITREA

The data is un-ambiguous: Kenya’s economy is starting to catch up with the rest of the globe. But many of us probably wonder if that is really true, judging by what we observe in the streets of Nairobi or in rural areas.
In other words, is economic catch-up translating into social progress? Will today’s children have a better life than their parents? Will everyone enjoy decent social and infrastructure services in the new Kenya? Let’s zoom in on the case of health.
How healthy is Kenya today? Simply said, it could do better. This is important from an economic standpoint because a population’s health is key foundation for development. Healthy populations are more productive.
They also save and invest more. On average, and all other things equal, one extra year of life-expectancy raises a country’s GDP by four per cent. Today Kenya is not reaping these “health dividends”. Life expectancy is still below what it was in the 1970s, and well below those of Asians and Latin Americans.
Sadly, most of the diseases affecting ordinary Kenyans can be avoided. About a quarter of a million Kenyans die from preventable diseases every year. HIV and Aids, diarrhoea, and respiratory infections are the country’s greatest killers.
In addition, nearly 40 Kenyan women die due to pregnancy-related causes daily. As in most other sub-Saharan African countries, maternal and child deaths mostly revolve around childbirth. Newborn deaths contribute to two-thirds of infant mortality.
There have been some achievements in the last 10 years though. One often overlooked fact is the foundations of a healthy life are laid extremely early and parents have a particular responsibility.
People tend to become health conscious once their muscles and bones begin to ache on a regular basis, typically around the age of 40 or 50. This is too late, drivers of health are determined much earlier, in fact even before birth.
Recent studies have shown the first 1,000 days of one’s life are very vital for their future well-being in comparison to the subsequent 10,000 days. These first 1,000 days include pregnancy and the first two years of one’s life.
Mothers can help their infants by giving them good food, especially by breast-feeding. Improved care during pregnancy and childbirth will be critical for making further progress in maternal and child health. Malnutrition is a critical cause of child mortality.
Over a third of Kenyan children are affected. The levels have remained more or less the same since the early 1990s. Even among the richest households, 25 per cent of children are stunted, suggesting a serious issue with child-caring.
The annual loss to Kenya’s economy as a result of stunting is estimated at US$2.8 billion.
In addition to these, Kenya also faces new health challenges that are a product of economic transition, such as diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure and cancer.
Combination of new and old health challenges creates a “dual burden” for Kenya. In future, Kenya’s high population growth will be driven by those living longer, and who on average suffer from these new diseases.
The country’s health system will need to respond to the dual burden with a new focus on prevention, including lifestyle changes and effective primary level management of chronic diseases while cementing gains made in the control of communicable diseases.
This would also mean focusing less public money on tertiary care to manage the complications associated with non-communicable diseases, because such care is prohibitively expensive. In the end, the best strategy is always prevention.
The writer is World Bank Lead Economist for Kenya, Rwanda and Eritrea. This article has been co-authored with Dr. Ramana, Lead Health Specialist, World Bank. Follow Wolfgang on twitter @wolfgangfengler