By Mandere Onyinkwa
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called on Kenya’s Social Health Authority (SHA) to include analogue insulin pens in its benefits package.
MSF argued that the move would significantly improve diabetes management and health outcomes for thousands of patients across the country.
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The humanitarian medical organisation says analogue insulin pens offer a more effective, convenient and patient-friendly method of insulin delivery compared to traditional insulin vials and syringes, particularly for children and people living with Type 1 diabetes.
According to MSF, approximately 8,000 children in Kenya are currently receiving analogue insulin pens through the Changing Diabetes in Children programme.
However, concerns remain about their continued access to the devices once they transition out of the programme.
“In Kenya, ensuring a sustainable supply of affordable analogue insulin pens is especially critical,” MSF said, noting that many children could struggle to maintain the same standard of diabetes care if the devices are not made universally available through the country’s health financing system.
MSF Medical Coordinator in Kenya, Dr Narine Danielyan, welcomed steps already taken by the government to improve diabetes care but said more needs to be done to ensure patients can access the most appropriate treatment options.
“Over the past few years, Kenya has taken important steps in the right direction by including analogue insulin pens in its Essential Medicines List and the National Clinical Guidelines for Diabetes Management,” said Dr Danielyan.
“Now is the time to go the last mile and ensure these devices are available as part of the Social Health Authority benefits package so that more people in Kenya have access to the insulin delivery device that is most effective for their own clinical needs, in alignment with national guidelines,” she added.
Diabetes remains a growing public health concern in Kenya, with health experts warning that increasing cases of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are placing pressure on patients, families and the healthcare system.
Effective insulin management is considered critical in preventing severe complications such as kidney failure, blindness, cardiovascular disease and amputations.
MSF said it is supporting efforts to improve diabetes care globally and is currently helping patients transition from human insulin administered through vials to analogue insulin pens in several programmes.
In Kenya, the organisation is implementing diabetes support initiatives in Homa Bay County and the Dagahaley refugee camp.
The organisation has also launched a research study to document the experiences of patients and healthcare workers using analogue insulin pens. The study seeks to generate Kenya-specific evidence on the feasibility, acceptability and impact of the devices, particularly in humanitarian and resource-constrained settings.
MSF argues that including analogue insulin pens in the SHA benefits package would help align healthcare financing with existing national diabetes treatment guidelines while ensuring more equitable access to quality care for people living with diabetes across the country.
