Opportunities for Civil Society Organizations to Integrate Non-communicable Disease Interventions into Existing Health Programmes: a Case of Amref Health Africa in Kenya

Abstract

Introduction: non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are an increasing public health concern in Kenya. The Ministry of Health aims to reverse this trend however funding remains limited. Integration of NCDs into existing health programmes has been recommended as a cost effective approach. In Kenya, civil society organizations (CSOs) play a significant role in delivery of a range of health services. The objective of this study is to identify opportunities for CSOs to integrate NCDs in to existing health programmes. Methods: this was a cross-sectional study targeting 31 health managers in one of the largest CSOs in Kenya, Amref Health Africa. Structured questionnaires using likert scales and key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were administered. Proportions of the most frequent responses were determined using Likert scale data. Qualitative data from the KIIs was analyzed thematically. Results: a total of 23 project managers and 4 programmes managers were included in the study. Majority of project managers were implementing Reproductive Maternal Newborn and Child Health projects (43%) and HIV/TB and Malaria projects (39%). All the programme managers and 87% of the project managers agreed that there were opportunities for integrating NCD interventions within their programmes and projects. The interventions with greatest opportunities included awareness creation on NCDs through Community Health Volunteers (91%), through public forums (91%), through schools (74%) and at health facilities (74%). Conclusion: there exist substantial opportunities to integrate NCD interventions within existing health programmes implemented by CSOs. There is need to test various integration models and influence their adoption in to the national health programmes.