The Health sector

The current economic status of the health sector faces extreme prices on health services. For instance, the BoP faces low charges of services but these medical facilities tend to consume high-energy use due to machinery operations, generic medicines sold for the true price of real goods and expensive health insurances schemes present. It is vital to note that because the health sector is heavily reliant upon other sectors, it must ensure that they type of energy, transportation, IT and innovation, infrastructure, recycling, labour regulations are effectively met. This in turn results in saving costs, developing more sustainable business models, knowledge results to the creation of a good brand will.

Challenges of SIB in this sector:

• Difficulty in accessing knowledge tools in the health sector: minimum knowledge in terms of case studies and reports that capture evidence.

• The market problem whereby the lower income groups in Kenya suffer from poor quality medicines due to a highly fragmented and weakly regulated retail pharmacy sector, counterfeit and substandard drugs in the market; Proliferation of unlicensed outlets operated by unqualified personnel.

• High mark-ups at each level of the supply chain resulting in exorbitant prices to the consumer. Private drug sellers are often the first point of healthcare contact for low-income Kenyans; Consumers cannot differentiate unqualified, unlicensed outlets from qualified and licensed ones.

• Access to good medical health services are unaffordable by the BoP resulting to difficulty in accessing products for consumers.

Needs of SIB in this Sector

SIB is the core for scaling up good businesses in Kenya, achieving sustainable growth and making businesses commercially viable is an essential step for Kenyan businesses. This shift in thinking for sustainable businesses models is a necessary step in attracting the consumers who can afford to pay less. In health, where there is a heavy private health sector involvement in service delivery, health sector experts place huge emphasis on social enterprises and public health provision of care. This has a role but in order for scalability to happen, such good business practices will be the next frontier for traditional business in Kenya.

Sustainability in the health sector aims in ensuring patients and employees can benefit equally. This includes reductions in energy use and improvements in resource efficiency drive system-wide in order to contribute to cost savings and ensuring compliance with environmental legislation. Furthermore, models of care, technology, system governance, use of resources and societal and individual behaviors and attitude are all aspects that should be highly revised that in turn results in ensuring sustainable services and products are in place in the industry. Thereby, in conclusion of the aspects mentioned above, health business can create a new innovative business models that create a shift from the red ocean to the blue ocean concept through sustainable tips.