Research and Development Strategic Initiatives on Sustainable Financing of Universal Health Coverage in Kenya

Abstract

Universal health coverage (UHC) has been observed to positively impact on the financial protection and health status of residents of countries where it is implemented. However, the concept and possibilities of UHC remains underexplored in several low resource settings globally owing to little research and development efforts, thus, limiting the implementation of UHC. This paper, therefore, sought to establish the impact of research and development strategic initiatives at the institutional level on sustainable healthcare financing of UHC in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive research design targeting UHC stakeholder organizations including the Ministry of Health, public and private social health insurers, donor fund agencies, as well as public and private healthcare providers in the country. From these, a sample size of 234 organizations were selected using mixed sampling techniques to participate in the study. Data was collected through questionnaires and interview schedules. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, that is, bivariate correlation and multivariate regression analysis. The study found that research and development strategic initiatives significantly influenced the sustainable financing of universal Health Coverage in Kenya. Technological Integration of medical Systems was the most influential R&D strategic initiative in predicting Sustainable Financing of UHC. This was followed by Public support for and trust in healthcare research and Potential for medical Work-Flow Process Reengineering. The study recommends that more research should be conducted at the institutional level rather than the personal level on UHC financing so as to produce high quality research.