Kenyans To Register Afresh- Ruto To End NHIF
Ruto's announcement came hours before the Sunday, March 17 deadline announced by the Rural Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) with regards to an outstanding Ksh6.1 billion debt owed by NHIF.
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President William Ruto announced on Saturday, March 16 that Kenyans already subscribed to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) will have to undergo fresh registration in a bid to access benefits under the country's new universal healthcare initiative.
Speaking during the commissioning of the Kyogong—Kapkesosio— Sigor—Longisa Road tarmacking project in Chepalungu, Bomet County, President Ruto outlined plans for a comprehensive registration campaign to be supervised by the Ministry of Health under Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha.
The nationwide exercise will seek to have Kenyans' medical expenses covered under the revamped healthcare system.
NHIF Building in Nairobi. /KENYAN WALLSTREET
This is as the government is preparing to phase out NHIF and move towards the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), which was created as a result of three bills; that is The Social Health Insurance, Primary Health Care Act, and the Digital and Digital Health Act which President Ruto had signed into law.
He told residents of Bomet County that no Kenyan would be left behind in the registration process.
"We are going to have our Universal Health Coverage rolled out, and you people as countrymen should start organising yourselves.
"The Ministry of Health will announce in the coming days how you will register afresh so that we ensure that each one of us is in the category of Kenyans who go to the hospital, get treated, have insurance and ensure that health matters do not bring us problems again," Ruto announced.
He added that the new programme would see low-income earners contribute a nominal fee of Ksh300 monthly, down from Ksh500 that was previously contributed under NHIF, with the government subsidizing costs for those unable to afford it.
This, he said, would save Kenyans from being plunged into poverty because of being forced to pay exorbitant costs to afford quality healthcare.
"We now have a law that establishes the Critical Illness Fund, which will be used to meet the cost of illnesses such as Cancer. No Kenyan will have to sell his property to pay medical bills," Ruto added.
The Head of State also underlined that SHIF would see the incorporation of advanced technology meant to tackle inefficiencies and corruption that marred the NHIF system, ensuring that public funds are optimally utilized to deliver quality healthcare services.
Ruto's announcement came hours before the Sunday, March 17 deadline announced by the Rural Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA) with regards to an outstanding Ksh6.1 billion debt owed by NHIF.
The failure by NHIF to settle the outstanding debt would see at least 400 private hospitals reject NHIF cards and force patients to pay in cash to access medical care, a move that risks plunging the healthcare sector into a crisis.
