Today Kenya rolls out Universal Healthcare pilot programmes in Kisumu, Nyeri, Isiolo and Machakos.
Besides outpatient care, there will be access to medical and surgical services, improved maternal and child healthcare, and enhanced HIV, tuberculosis and malaria treatment. This will be supported by public health education.
Lessons learned from the pilot scheme covering 3.2 million Kenyans will be used to roll out UHC across the whole country by 2022.
So far only six million out of 45 million Kenyans have registered for NHIF but all 45 million citizens will need to register to access UHC.
Kenya has the highest level of income inequality in Africa after Angola and South Africa. We can reduce inequality by providing quality universal services such as healthcare and education so that taxation assists the poorest Kenyans.
UHC will be a giant step forward in building a better nation for everyone.
But we are not there yet. We have just seen senior NHIF officials arrested on charges of massive fraud. UHC will not succeed without advanced accounting systems and strict accountability.
Quote of the day: "Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance."
Samuel Johnson
The English lexicographer died on December 13, 1784
