The impact of adjustment on the health status in sub-saharan Africa (SSA) : A case study of Kenya 1980-2000

Abstract

Since the introduction of the Structural Adjustment Programmes in Africa, there has been a raging debate on their expected outcome. There has been varying analytical reports on their impact on various sectors of the economy. Their main aim was to lead African economies from crisis to sustainable growth. Some observers have regarded SAPs as a stepping-stone to development while others have seen them as a failed policy approach to the already downcast economies of Africa. This study is yet another contribution to the SAPs debate. It attempts to shed some light on the health situation in Africa and Kenya in particular, with regard to implementation of structural adjustment programmes.

The main objective of this study was to establish the impact of Adjustment on the Kenya health sector. Many people blame the health related structural adjustment policies on the poor health status of Kenyans of all walks of life especially the poor. In Kenya the contention is that even though the Government tried to formulate and implement policies to solve the health problems their implementation was poor. There was inadequate institutional capacity to implement the policies to their full extent resulting to negative impacts. Adjustment policies though well intended, led to marginalization of the vulnerable sections of the population. This is not however, to say all SAPs policies were wrong. Some positive aspects arose from these policies. In general to create a healthy population a nation needs to create an enabling environment right from the structure in place in order to expect the policies to work.