By Lena Bosibori
Kenya’s LVCT Health is strengthening its focus on health systems, digital innovation and cross-sector partnerships as African countries face growing pressure to expand healthcare access amid increasingly constrained development financing.
The organisation convened leaders from government, healthcare, business and development institutions in Nairobi on Thursday to explore new partnership models for advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC), while unveiling a new brand identity reflecting its expanded role in health systems strengthening and implementation.
The meeting comes as governments across Africa grapple with complex health challenges, including rising demand for services, persistent inequalities in access to care and the need to mobilise more domestic resources to finance healthcare.
Stakeholders at the meeting, including representatives of the Kenya Healthcare Federation (KHF), emphasised the importance of locally led institutions and stronger public-private collaboration in building resilient health systems.
According to LVCT Health, its evolution from an organisation rooted in HIV programming into a broader health systems and implementation partner reflects the changing demands of public health across Kenya and the continent.
“For more than 25 years, LVCT Health has combined research, innovation and implementation to address complex public health challenges. The next chapter will require deeper collaboration across sectors,” said Patrick Obath, chairperson of the organisation’s board.
He added that institutions capable of connecting evidence, technology, financing and service delivery would play an increasingly important role in improving health outcomes.
Digital health expands access to services
Digital innovation is emerging as a central component of LVCT Health’s approach to extending healthcare information and support services.
Its One2One digital platform has reached more than six million people, providing access to health information, counselling and support services.
The organisation’s wider digital health portfolio also supports service delivery, health workforce development, data use and programme management across multiple health priorities.
The platform’s reported reach highlights the potential of digital channels to complement conventional healthcare delivery, particularly in connecting people with information and support beyond physical health facilities.
However, translating digital reach into improved health outcomes requires sustained investment in service quality, effective referral systems, data protection and equitable access for communities with limited connectivity.
LVCT Health has also expanded its programming beyond HIV to include mental health, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, maternal and child health, community health systems and emerging health threats.
These areas reflect the interconnected nature of public health challenges, which increasingly require coordinated responses involving healthcare providers, communities, governments and non-state actors.
Private sector sees growing role in healthcare delivery
The organisation’s social enterprise division is another area of expansion, with more than 85 organisations and corporations reportedly accessing workplace health services, mental health support, training, safeguarding expertise and organisational resilience programmes.
The growth points to opportunities for private sector engagement in areas such as employee wellbeing, occupational health and institutional capacity development.
For LVCT Health, such partnerships also provide an avenue for bringing technical expertise and health services to workplaces while diversifying the range of organisations supporting its programmes.
Dr Lillian Otiso, executive director of LVCT Health, said the organisation’s new brand reflects the capabilities it has developed in digital health, implementation, research, workforce development and technical advisory services.
“Health systems across Africa are entering a period of profound change. Funding models are evolving, health needs are becoming more complex. Governments are looking for new ways to expand access while improving efficiency and outcomes,” Otiso said.
She noted that the changing environment required stronger partnerships and greater investment in locally led solutions.
“We are working alongside governments, funders, healthcare providers and the private sector to deliver impact at scale,” she added.
Public-private collaboration key to UHC
The Kenya Healthcare Federation underscored the importance of closer collaboration between government and private sector institutions in achieving Kenya’s healthcare objectives.
Dr Anne Musuva, chief executive officer of KHF, said Universal Health Coverage would require the combined strengths of government, private enterprise, development partners and civil society.
“Kenya has an opportunity to build more resilient and responsive health systems by harnessing innovation and implementation expertise from partners like LVCT Health,” Musuva said.
UHC aims to ensure that people can access the quality health services they need without suffering financial hardship. Achieving this goal requires more than expanding service availability: countries must also address affordability, workforce capacity, service quality and gaps in access between different populations.
For African health systems, the search for sustainable financing and effective partnerships has become increasingly important as governments seek to maintain essential services while responding to emerging health threats.
Locally rooted organisations can contribute implementation expertise, community networks and knowledge of local health needs. However, the effectiveness of new partnership models will depend on clear accountability, sustainable financing and measurable improvements in access and quality of care.
From service delivery to health systems strengthening
LVCT Health says it operates across 36 counties in Kenya and reaches more than one million people annually through its programmes, partnerships and services.
Its new brand identity signals an ambition to build on more than two decades of research, evidence generation and programme implementation to support health systems and improve outcomes in Kenya and beyond.
The organisation’s expanded portfolio places it at the intersection of service delivery, digital innovation, workforce development and technical support to health institutions.
As Kenya and other African countries pursue UHC, the central question will be whether partnerships of this kind can help bridge the gap between health policy commitments and accessible, affordable and quality services for communities.
LVCT Health’s new direction reflects a broader debate about the future of healthcare financing and delivery in Africa: how governments, local institutions, development partners and businesses can combine their resources and expertise to sustain health gains while ensuring that vulnerable populations are not left behind.
Africa Science News note: Figures and organisational claims in this article are attributed to LVCT Health and its representatives. Independent verification of the reported reach and service coverage was not provided in the source material.