MSF urges Kenya to include analogue insulin pens in SHA benefits package

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has urged the government to include analogue insulin pens and pen needles in the Social Health Authority (SHA) benefits package, arguing that the move would improve diabetes care, reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients and accelerate Kenya’s universal health coverage (UHC) goals.

The humanitarian medical organisation said adding analogue insulin pens to the SHA package would make diabetes treatment safer, easier to use and more effective, leading to better treatment adherence and improved blood sugar control for thousands of Kenyans living with the disease.

The appeal comes as the Benefits Package and Tariffs Advisory Panel reviews proposals aimed at strengthening Kenya’s healthcare system.

According to MSF, diabetes has become one of the world’s fastest-growing public health challenges. The organisation estimates that the number of people living with Type 1 diabetes globally will increase from 8.4 million in 2021 to more than 13 million by 2040.

In Kenya, an estimated 821,500 adults—about three per cent of the adult population—were living with diabetes in 2021. However, the burden is believed to be much higher because more than half of all diabetes cases remain undiagnosed.

MSF said while analogue insulin pens have become the standard of care in many high-income countries, patients in low- and middle-income countries continue to rely largely on insulin vials and syringes, creating what it described as a “global double standard” in diabetes care.

“The prevalence of diabetes is rapidly increasing around the world, but access to treatment is not improving at the same rate, especially in low- and middle-income countries where modern, more efficacious and person-preferred treatments like analogue insulin pens are unaffordable or unavailable,” said Dr Elizabeth Jarman, MSF Access non-communicable disease technical adviser.

“By introducing analogue insulin pens to its Social Health Authority benefits package, Kenya would be leading the charge towards ending the global double standard in diabetes care and ensuring that people living with diabetes have more equitable access to treatment,” she added.

MSF said insulin pens offer several advantages over traditional syringes, including greater dosing accuracy, ease of use and portability, making them particularly suitable for children and patients requiring long-term insulin therapy.

Studies have also shown that insulin analogues improve blood sugar management while reducing serious complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis. In Mali, for example, children who switched from insulin vials to analogue insulin pens recorded significant improvements in blood sugar control and fewer life-threatening complications.

The organisation noted that analogue insulin pens have already been recognised as essential medicines by the World Health Organization and have also been included in Kenya’s Essential Medicines List and National Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Diabetes.

MSF warned that about 8,000 Kenyan children currently receiving analogue insulin pens through the Changing Diabetes in Children programme could face difficulties accessing the same treatment after they graduate from the programme unless the devices become universally available through SHA.

“Kenya has already taken important steps by including analogue insulin pens in its Essential Medicines List and National Clinical Guidelines for Diabetes Management,” said Dr Narine Danielyan, MSF Medical Coordinator in Kenya.

“Now is the time to go the last mile and ensure these devices are available through the Social Health Authority benefits package so that more people can access the insulin delivery device that best meets their clinical needs.”

MSF is currently supporting diabetes programmes in Homa Bay County and the Dagahaley refugee camp, where patients are transitioning from human insulin in vials to analogue insulin pens. The organisation is also conducting research to assess patient experiences, healthcare worker perspectives and the overall impact of introducing analogue insulin pens in humanitarian settings.

The organisation says incorporating analogue insulin pens into Kenya’s public health financing system would strengthen diabetes care, improve health outcomes and advance equitable access to quality non-communicable disease services nationwide.