The Director of Medical Services, Ministry of Medical Services, Dr Francis Kimani, today officially launched the Centre for Health Solutions (CHS) in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

Dr Francis Kimani, Director of Medical Services speaking at the launch of CHS

The launch was attended by CHS partners who included government officials, local and international NGOs, the corporate sector partners, institutions of higher learning and the media among others.

Dr. Kimani raised concern that chronic diseases particularly Non-communicable Diseases are becoming commoner in Kenya than they were some decades ago.  Kimani explained that the diseases contribute to over 50% of hospital admissions and causes 40% of disease related deaths in Kenya.

He recognized CHS for developing a comprehensive approach to health issues and urged the organization to strengthen its approach towards addressing emerging public health concerns.

While communicating the place of CHS in the public health sector, Dr Paul Wekesa (the Chief Executive Officer of CHS) explained that the organization would continue to apply its in-depth-understanding of the local context to develop and implement health models that are informed by evidence.

Dr. Paul Wekesa, CEO, CHS speaks at the launch of the organization

He added that CHS will endeavor to be a learning organization that will focus on knowledge management and knowledge sharing in order to strengthen public health responses.

” We are a young organization. We will seek to gain more knowledge and continuously improve the quality of our programs” Said Dr. Wekesa.

Dr. Mark Hawken toasts!

In appreciation of the partners and stakeholders that attended the launch, Dr. Mark Hawken (Director of ICAP in Kenya) called upon the participants to toast “To the growth of CHS; to the actualization of its Mission and Vision; to the good partnership with our stakeholders and TO THE HEALTH OF ALL KENYANS!”