Healthcare services are vital to all individuals. Therefore, every government has a responsibility of providing high quality and effective medical services to its citizens. Health Management Information System (HMIS) is one of the essential blocks in strengthening and improving the health system. HMIS refers to a data collection system designed to support management, decision making, and planning in healthcare institutions and facilities. In Kenya, where the healthcare program is centralized, HMIS is used to collect patients’ data. Conversely, America has a decentralized healthcare system which has several health information exchanges channels (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2014). Some of the channels used are such as state, regional, and private health information exchanges.
In the United States, the health system has no universal healthcare coverage across the nation (Department for professional employees, 2016). As a result, the patients suffer inequalities on healthcare services provided. Conversely, Kenya launched a universal healthcare program to ensure that its citizens can access medical services required despite their financial capabilities. Consequently, every individual in the country can access quality healthcare services (Obura, 2018). Besides, the program in question also helps in generating information that can be used for decision making.
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Additionally, in a centralized health care system, decisions concerning health care issues are made at the headquarters and applied in all healthcare facilities. Consequently, healthcare activities such as policy formulation, governmental and non-governmental activities coordination, policy implementation, evaluation, and monitoring in Kenya are done through the ministry of health (Ndavi, Ogola, Kizito & Johnson, 2009). As a result, the ministry of health becomes the celestial decision-making body for all healthcare institutions. Comparatively, the healthcare system in the United States constantly experiences several challenges on issues concerning decision making due to decentralization (Health research funding, n.d.). Such problems occur due to a lack of a collective body to control the issues concerning healthcare activities.
Similarly, both the government of Kenya and the U.S. government provide medical insurance covers for their citizens. In Kenya, there is the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) which helps its members to access affordable medical services (InsureAfrika, n.d.). In the United State, the government has set up Medicare and Medicaid health insurance. Besides, there is also veterans’ administration and other military care for the individuals working in the U.S. forces. A study conducted in 2014 indicated that approximately 36.5% of the insured individuals in America use government coverage plans (Department for professional employees, 2016). However, essential medical services are offered for free in a centralized care system while they are charged in a decentralized system. As a result, medical care services are relatively expensive in America compared to Kenya.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2014). Trends in Health Information Exchanges. Retrieved from https://innovations.ahrq.gov/perspectives/trends-health-information-exchanges
Department for professional employees. (2016). The U.S. health care system: An international perspective. Retrieved from https://dpeaflcio.org/programs-publications/issue-fact-sheets/the-u-s-health-care-system-an-international-perspective/
Health research funding, (n.d.). 6 pros and cons of centralized health care. Retrieved from https://healthresearchfunding.org/6-pros-and-cons-of-centralized-health-care/
InsureAfrika, (n.d.). Compare insurance rates in Kenya. Retrieved from http://www.insureafrika.com/health-insurance
Ndavi, p, M., Ogola, S., Kizito, M, P., & Johnson, K. (2009). Decentralizing Kenya’s Health Management System: An Evaluation. Retrieved from https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/WPK1/WPK1.pdf
Obura F. (2018). What is universal health care? Retrieved from https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/article/2001306213/what-is-universal-health-care
