AMPATH, Ministry of Health bolster collaboration for sustainable healthcare delivery

 KENYA— Indiana University’s Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) collaboration with Moi University and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya has strengthened its engagement with the Ministry of Health.

This development was disclosed during a meeting with Nakhumicha S. Wafula, Cabinet Secretary for Health, and Hilary Kahn, Vice President of International Affairs at Indiana University, a public research institution in Bloomington, Indiana, among other guests. 

This expanded collaboration with the Ministry of Health aims to create a sustainable healthcare system, particularly focusing on the treatment of non-communicable diseases.

AMPATH’s mission to collaborate with the Ministry of Health and county governments to develop comprehensive care models tailored to the population’s needs.

This AMPATH-MoH collaboration offers a comprehensive package of primary care services, including HIV/AIDS treatment and control, maternal-child services, essential preventive services, and medical care for serious health issues.

Speaking at the meeting, Dr. Adrian Gardner, Director of the Indiana University Center for Global Health and Executive Director of the AMPATH Consortium, emphasized their continuous partnerships with Kenyan universities to implement innovative care interventions, research, and training, especially in HIV and non-communicable chronic diseases.

Established in 2001, AMPATH serves approximately 24 million people in western Kenya with partnerships with the Kenyan Ministry of Health aiming to create an integrated public health system that spans all levels of the health system and adopts a community-based, population health approach.

This system, which includes both general and specialized care services, is designed to support training and research operations.

So far, specialty care services from the collaboration are based at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital complex in Eldoret, with developing Centers of Excellence in cardiac diseases, diabetes, mental health, and oncology.

Furthermore, AMPATH is developing a replicable model of universal health coverage by establishing a healthcare system in western Kenya that provides quality health services efficiently and effectively. This includes developing community-based and group-based wealth creation mechanisms and collaborating with Kenya’s National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to ensure the healthcare delivery system is financially accessible to all.

In October 2023, Indiana University launched an initiative from the IU Center for Global Health Equity, supported by a three-year, US$1.5 million grant from the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation.

This initiative, called Applying Global Lessons to Advance Health Equity in Indiana (APPLE-IN), aims to identify community health needs in Indiana and apply lessons learned from work in Kenya and other parts of the world to address those needs.

Modeled on the success of AMPATH, this initiative builds on nearly 35 years of partnership among academic health centers, ministries of health, and others to build health systems that promote well-being in underserved communities.

In Kenya, AMPATH has reached over 1 million patients through home-based HIV testing, becoming one of Africa’s most comprehensive and successful HIV and AIDS treatment and prevention programs.

 This foundation supports care programs that address non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and hypertension, as well as maternal and child health, mental health, and more.

AMPATH has also trained more than 6,000 medical professionals and community health workers in Kenya, delivering and sustaining effective healthcare services while supporting ongoing training and research to improve health outcomes. 

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