Managing an asymptomatic patient costs Sh21,000 per day on average, acting director of health Patrick Amoth has said.
In a Question and Answer session on Wednesday, Amoth said mild cases require on average Sh21,369 per day.
This was after someone asked him if there are plans to use NHIF to cover students diagnosed with Covid-19.
Amoth indicated that severe cases cost Sh51,684 per day on average. While critical (ICU) cases cost Sh71,283 per day.
"65 per cent of these costs are contributed by PPEs," he added.
This means that if you are to go the hospital and stay for 10 days you will have to pay Sh210,000 for a mild case.
As at Tuesday, a total of 1,237 patients were admitted in various health facilities countrywide, while 6,257 are on home-based isolation and care.
Sixty-two patients were in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 26 of whom are on ventilatory support, and 32 on supplemental oxygen.
Last week, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said the National Hospital Insurance Fund will not cover Covid-19 treatment.
Kagwe said it is expensive, unsustainable and impractical for the state-owned health insurer to foot the medical bills of its members diagnosed with the virus.
The situation is similar worldwide. Free public treatment is not universal. Pandemics and epidemics globally are excluded from insurance cover.
NHIF's service contracts and the projected high number of infections have made it impossible for the Fund pay for testing, isolation, treatment and acquisition of PPE, ventilators and other costly supplies.
The declaration is a heavy blow to thousands of poor Kenyans who will now be forced to dig deeper into their pockets to pay for their treatment, if they can.
However, the CS told the Senate Health Committee the government will subsidise treatment and write off the bills of poor Kenyans who have demonstrated their inability to pay.
