NAIROBI – Kenya and Jordan on Wednesday deepened their bilateral ties in the healthcare sector, as the East African powerhouse moves to stabilize its ambitious and often contentious transition to Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
In high-level talks held in the capital, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale met with Jordanian Ambassador Rulan Samara to finalize a framework for cooperation.
The primary focus of the partnership is to leverage Jordan’s established success in oncology and medical insurance systems to support Kenya’s nascent “Taifa Care” model.
“The engagement aligns with the Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and ongoing reforms under the Taifa Care model,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
Central to this is the operationalization of the Social Health Authority (SHA), which replaced the decades-old National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) amid significant public debate over mandatory contributions and service delivery.
Kenya is particularly interested in Jordan’s experience in benefit package design and provider payment systems—areas that have historically plagued Kenya’s public health financing with inefficiencies and predictability issues.
The two nations also discussed expanding access to specialized healthcare services, aiming to reduce the number of Kenyans seeking expensive treatment abroad for chronic illnesses like cancer.
