Leadership Towards Health for All: Reflections on Social Justice and Equity

Saturday, 27 April 10:45

About Dr Mercey Wanjala

Dr. Mercy Wanjala is a Family Physician and Consultant in Global Health and Health Systems Strengthening. She holds a Master of Comprehensive General Medicine from the University of Medical Sciences of Havana, is an MBA in Healthcare Management candidate at Strathmore University Business School, and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Nairobi. Her extensive work experience includes serving as a Family Physician and Primary Healthcare  Coordinator for the County Government of Embu Health Department, where she currently works. 

Dr. Wanjala's role involved significant responsibilities in family medicine, as evidenced during  her residency in Havana, Cuba, with the Ministry of Public Health. She began her medical career at  the University of Nairobi School of Medicine where she graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine  and Bachelor of Surgery (MBCHB) in 2013. She then proceeded for her internship in Embu  Teaching and Referral Hospital in Embu County. After qualifying as a medical officer, she was posted  to Kiritiri Health Centre where she ran the Comprehensive Care Centre for HIV/AIDS/TB before  becoming the Medical Officer in Charge. She later was promoted to medical superintendent at the  Mbeere Sub-County hospital. She then worked as an emergency care physician at the County  Referral Hospital helping to set up the Casualty Department before she was nominated as the  County representative for the Government Scholarship to pursue Masters in Family Medicine at the  University of Havana, Cuba.

During her family medicine residency, she volunteered as a Global Coach at the Institute of  Health Care Improvement(IHI) Open School. Upon her graduation as a Consultant Family  Physician, she has held prominent positions, including Head of Primary Health Care, Embu County  and National secretary for the Kenya Association of Family Physicians among other roles in  professional bodies. She also sits on the National technical Working Group on Primary Health  Care and the Technical Group for National Cancer Strategic Information, Research,  Registration and Surveillance.

Her academic contributions include serving as a visiting Lecturer in Primary Health Care in Global  Health at the University of Global Health Equity-School of Nursing and and a part-time lecturer in  Health Services Leadership at Kabarak University Department of Family Medicine. These roles  underline her commitment to educating the next generation of healthcare professionals. Her  professional leadership extends to executive roles in organizations like the Africa Forum for Primary  Health Care, WONCA Working Party for Quality and Patient Safety, WONCA Working Party on  Rural Practice and Women in Global Health Kenya Chapter.  

She also served as an Associate Consultant with the Futures Health economic and Metrics Ltd for  organizations like UNICEF, UNESCO, GAVI, and the Matibabu Foundation in Kenya. These roles  allowed her to focus on community health services, health-promoting schools, national  immunization grant development, and quality of care research and treatment.
Her dedication to the medical field by the 2023 Young Family Doctors Rising Star Award from the  Africa Region of the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) and the WONCA Sydney  Conference Full Scholarship. Dr. Wanjala has authored and co-authored various works on global health  issues and has participated in several professional development programs, focusing on universal health  coverage, health policy, and global health research.

Her approach to healthcare is holistic and integrative, emphasizing the importance of policy  development, advocacy, and research. Havana. Her dedication to universal health coverage and equity  is also reflected in her ongoing involvement in policy advocacy, advisory roles, and her pursuit of  continuous professional development in global health. Her work is driven by a passion to ensure  equitable access to healthcare for all, particularly in underserved and rural communities.