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AMPATH colleagues Laura Ruhl, MD, MPH, and Matt Turissini, MD, took very different paths to Kenya.

Along the way those paths converged to create a partnership that thrives on working to create an accessible health system in western Kenya while raising their young daughters to be global citizens.

On 12th December every year, the world marks the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) day. This year’s UHC day marks one year since the launch of the Government of Kenya’s Big Four Agenda that targets to achieve universal health coverage. UHC aims to make quality health accessible to all at a price affordable to them. Significant steps towards that goal have been made among county governments country-wide who have taken the initiative to launch their UHC plans.

More than one thousand trained AMPATH community health workers provide care and education throughout their own communities in western Kenya. Now this model is being used in two Indiana counties to improve infant mortality rates.

Last month AMPATH took a big step toward a vision of making access to quality health care available for all. AMPATH teams started a pilot project going door-to-door in Turbo Sub-County, immediately northwest of Eldoret, to facilitate enrollment in an affordable national health insurance product to families, especially those with informal or no employment.

Justus E. Ikemer is the project manager of Chama cha Mamatoto (mother-child groups). Justus loves working with mothers and seeing them benefit from various aspects of the Chamas program.