President William Ruto has guaranteed that the government will cover the National Health Insurance Fund expenses for Kenyans who are unable to afford it, based on a thorough assessment of their situations.
Dr Ruto highlighted that the government’s initiatives to enhance health services in the country have garnered ongoing support, emphasizing a shift from curative to preventive healthcare.
“Those few Kenyans with no NHIF cards, the government will give you the cards and we will pay for you. We have a mechanism of evaluating those who can and cannot afford. So you can’t pretend on this one,” he said.
The President emphasized that the Means Testing Instrument (MTI) will aid in the evaluation process. He added that NHIF payments will be determined by one’s income to ensure fairness and equity.
“Those with high income like governors and me will pay more because we can afford it. Instead of being called for Harambees every other time, it’s better to pay this once and reduce the Harambee cases because we can afford treatment,” Ruto said.
The Kenya Kwanza government, in collaboration with county governments, has enlisted 100,000 Community Health Promoters to enhance the endeavors of hospitals and medical personnel in delivering health services.
Dubbed the Smart Primary Health Care Network, the system is designed to gather, store, and distribute health data to facilitate informed decision-making.
President Ruto recently signed the Universal Health Care Bills, aimed at bolstering the Universal Health Coverage plan.
Dr Ruto defended his administration’s new health laws, which involve increased contributions from Kenyans’ earnings. This move is part of the government’s strategy to generate domestic funds for financing the Universal Health Coverage plan.
In the new regulations, the president said that no Kenyan would be denied access to any health facility, as the government would cover the bills through the newly established Public Health Fund.
