STRENGTHENING HEALTHCARE SUPPLY CHAIN TO FACILITATE UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE: AN EMPIRICAL REVIEW IN KENYA

The main objective of this study was to find out the effect of health supply chain in facilitating Universal Health Coverage in Kenya. Specifically, the study identified the effect of Inventory Optimization, Supply Chain Data Analytics, Supply Chain Integration and the influence of Strategic Purchasing on the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Kenya. The research design employed in this study was descriptive. This study relied heavily on secondary data as is the case with most desktop research study. The study reviewed journal articles, unpublished papers and conference papers on Supply Chain Management and Universal Health Coverage. The paper employed a desktop approach to provide answers to the research objectives. Specifically, the paper used a descriptive approach to gather information from peer reviewed publications such as, journal articles, organizations reports and books. The study found that the attainment of UHC in Kenya had remained elusive due to many challenges, which included unequal access to different healthcare services due to poor distribution and use of resources, shortfall in the number of medical personnel, skewed distribution of healthcare workforce, inability of the country’s health system to deal effectively with epidemics, corruption in the health sector, the growing burden of chronic diseases, epidemiological as well as a demographic transition with a steep increase among non-communicable diseases (NCDs), health leadership and governance issues, the need to strengthen health purchasing activities, among other myriads of issues. The study recommended that policy makers must purpose to implement strategies to deliver UHC. They must also undertake health financing reforms to mobilize more financing for health and ensure that available funds for health are used optimally and equitably. The state should reorient its health financing strategy away from a focus on contributory, voluntary health insurance, and instead recognize that increased healthcare funding is critical. Key Words: Inventory Optimization, Supply Chain, Supply Chain Integration, Strategic Purchasing CITATION: Panya, K. O., & Abuya, J. O. (2023). Strengthening healthcare supply chain to facilitate universal health coverage: An empirical review in Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 10 (4), 233 – 260. http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v10i4.2746.