Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga has urged heads of directorates at the Ministry of Health to demonstrate strong leadership and commitment in delivering the Ministry of Health’s national agenda.
Oluga who held a strategic meeting with the heads on Tuesday, emphasised the need to focus on advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and strengthening essential health services.
During the meeting, Oluga emphasised the importance of aligning activities with policy frameworks, conducting regular reviews, and championing change.
This, he said, should be done through sustainability, innovation, and resource mobilisation—particularly in addressing challenges like the medical internship programme.
He stressed that public trust begins with collective will and called for accountability, measurable results, and better alignment of priorities with resources.
Oluga encouraged collaboration, an open-door approach, and resolution of cross-cutting issues through synergy and coordinated efforts.
He also highlighted the need to showcase ongoing progress, protect achievements, and restore systems where necessary.
The Principal Secretary received briefs from the Directorates of Curative and Nursing Services, Family Health, Health Products and Technologies, and Policy, Digital Health and Innovation.
The meeting was attended by the Director General for Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth, among other senior officials.
Oluga officially assumed office over as Medical Services PS on April 17 from Harry Kimtai, who was redeployed to the State Department for Mining.
In his remarks during the handover, Oluga pledged to deliver for the people of Kenya, reaffirming his commitment to strengthening the health sector and driving forward the implementation of UHC, a flagship priority under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
He highlighted the need to rebuild public trust in the health system and echoed the values of patriotism, sustainable development, dependability, and reliability in service delivery.
He also noted that investing in the health workforce is central to realising meaningful and sustainable UHC outcomes.