More than one million patients suffering from hypertension missed treatment over the past three years due to a lack of anti-hypertensive drugs resulting from inadequate funding.
The latest health sector report shows that the State Department for Medical Services (SDMS), which is responsible for clinical care and drug dispensing, was allocated just Sh2.7 billion for all non-communicable diseases over the period. This is less than Sh1 billion required per year to cover hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and all other non-communicable diseases.
The annual NCD allocations were Sh670 million in 2022/23, Sh1.5 billion in 2023/24, and Sh546 million in 2024/25. Current data shows managing hypertension in Kenya costs between Sh3,000 and Sh15,000 per patient per month, including medication, doctor's visits, and laboratory tests.
In the 2022/23 financial year, only about 513,805 patients received treatment out of the 1.1 million people targeted, leaving 586,195 patients without the critical care they needed. The situation was similar in the 2024/25 financial year, with 1.1 million patients planned for treatment but only 593,000 actually receiving care, creating another gap of over 514,000 patients, a 46 percent shortfall.
However, the 2023/2024 year showed improvement, with 411,600 patients treated against a target of 350,000, marking the first time the ministry exceeded its target, by about 18 percent.
Notably, this was also the year with the highest budget allocation.
"Target was not achieved in the financial year 2024/25 due to lack of funding, especially for medication, while the target for the financial year 2023/24 was surpassed due to increased awareness," said the SDMS.
According to official data, 24 percent of Kenyans suffer from hypertension, yet only 22 percent have been initiated on treatment, while just three percent of those undergoing treatment have achieved control of the disease.
Only 29.6 percent of those with hypertension were aware of their condition, and just 6.5 percent were using anti-hypertensive medication.
Hypertension, commonly referred to as high blood pressure, occurs when the pressure in blood vessels is too high (140/90 mmHg or higher).
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), hypertension increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, and premature death.
