Ruto Initiates Plan To Rebrand NHIF

President William Ruto on Monday, April 24 kickstarted plans by his government to rebrand the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

Speaking during the launch of the CyberKnife at Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital, the Head of State revealed that the reforms at the critical fund are aimed at converting its operations to a social scheme which will also support Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

"The cardinal plank of the government's commitment, therefore, includes the reform of the NHIF to become a social health insurance scheme that can support Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and expand its operational capacity," he addressed.

With regard to the reforms, the President also changed his stance on his push to have employers match their employees' contributions to NHIF, explaining that the proposal would defeat the logic of having affordable healthcare for Kenyans.

He added that he and his team from the Ministry of Health were working on new amendments to the NHIF Act which would be presented to the Parliament, and once approved, Kenya would realise UHC which he argued failed to kick off twice.

“We have taken time, we have interrogated the new National Health insurance scheme, we have gone through the regulations that were taken to court by some of our partners and we have agreed that there is no need of matching our contributions to health.

“Therefore we will be presenting new amendments to Parliament hopefully by May 15 so that they can be interrogated,” said Ruto.

He further proposed a shift in the health sector from the conventional provision of curative health.

"We have to focus our energy on preventive and promotive situations as a way of minimising cost and arresting situations at the earliest possible time," the President noted.

The Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) moved to court in 2022 to challenge the proposal arguing that employers would struggle to meet the extra costs coupled with a difficult economic landscape.

FKE also argued that matching employees’ contributions would be a threat to members’ right to property. The court resultantly ruled in favour of the FKE and blocked the government from enforcing the proposal.

Speaking during the Inaugural National Cancer Summit Kenya 2023 Launch at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi on Thursday, February 2, Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha announced plans to change the name of NHIF to the National Social Health Insurance Fund (NSHIF).

"I want to declare here today that I shall be moving it from National Health Insurance Fund to a National Social Health Insurance Fund," she announced, much to the applause of guests in attendance.

Nakhumicha explained that the purpose of the rebrand was to drive universal healthcare from the grassroots, by and for the grassroots level.

Health CS Susan Nakhumicha Wafula during the commissioning of the CyberKnife at the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital on April 24, 2023. /TWITTER.SUSAN NAKHUMICHA