The Kisumu government has launched a mass registration drive as it prepares to rollout universal health coverage for residents.
The programme will enable residents to access the NHIF cover for quality health services as envisaged in Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o’s manifesto and in line with the national government’s agenda.
Nyong’o, while launching the initiative in Seme, said the county is working towards giving residents affordable healthcare in four years.
“Access to healthcare enables people to be more productive and active contributors to their families, communities and society,” he said.
More than 3,500 people have been registered in the completed successful pilot programme in three sublocations of Central Seme ward that now form the basis of the rollout drive.
Under the UHC, people who are unable to pay for healthcare will benefit from premium subsidy. Those formally employed and in the informal sector will pay directly to NHIF to ensure a long-term sustainability of the initiative.
The county signed an MoU for technical assistance with PharmAccess Foundation, a leading non-profit international organisation with a digital agenda for health insurance.
PharmAccess is one of the initiators of M-Tiba, a mobile health platform that facilitates health financing and delivery.
Nyong’o said Kisumu aims to use the digital platform to achieve UHC in a cost effective and transparent way. The M-Tiba platform connects healthcare providers with patients through mobile phones.
Such decisions are budgetary planning and appropriation that maximises coverage and efficient utilisation of UHC resources.
The mobile technology enables the county community health volunteers to enrol the population for NHIF. It further supports the community units to identify the poor who need subsidy.
The county is working with the government to support the improvement of health facilities, financing, health human resource, policy, infrastructure and medicines.
“Our strategy employs a fully digital cost-efficient process for the identification of beneficiaries, premium co-payment and access as well as collection of all medical treatment data,” Nyong’o said.