Last month, a friend I follow on Facebook took her ailing brother to Kenyatta Hospital for a checkup. The brother complained of pains all around his body.
When they got to the hospital, a simple visit necessitated admission and three months later, my friend was slapped with a bill of over Sh800,000.
Panicking, she called family and friends looking for contributions but was pleasantly surprised when National Hospital Insurance Fund assessed and paid the entire bill.
Those small monthly donations ended up counting for a lot when she needed it most. We are all familiar with this situation where we have had to either fundraise or help those we know fundraise for sick patients in the country.
It is very likely that you have received numerous invitations for a harambee, or a message to send someone cash because they cannot afford to pay medical costs for an ailing family member.
But with the ongoing reforms that started a few years ago, we can build a healthcare system that caters for all Kenyans. NHIF is the starting point through which we can achieve this as a country.
Last week during the National Prayer Breakfast, President Uhuru Kenyatta urged Parliament to fast-track the amendments to the NHIF Act as a means to help the country achieve Universal Healthcare in the country.
Many Kenyans do not know the benefits of sparing that Sh500 per month to pay for NHIF. The amendments before Parliament are meant to ensure that more Kenyans make their contribution which will enable them to get the cover they need.
The NHIF SUPA Cover is Kenya’s largest, reliable, accessible and affordable medical insurance cover that enables you and your family to enjoy an unparalleled benefits package. Supa Cover costs Sh500 per month for the principal members and beneficiaries.
It covers outpatient services such as Consultation, Laboratory, investigations, daycare procedures, drugs and dispensation, health education, wellness and counseling, physiotherapy services and immunization.
It also caters for inpatient services such as maternal care and also has a tailored cover for pregnant mothers and their newborns known as Linda Mama.
The best thing about President Kenyatta’s government is that it has had health as a priority since coming into power. Other than equipping hospitals, the Jubilee government already put in place structures to ensure all Kenyans over 70 years get a monthly stipend and NHIF cover.
In his second term, the President listed affordable healthcare as a key component to ensuring that all Kenyans get the proper medical services that they need. The project was successfully piloted and was to be launched last year before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
A key enabler of the Health component of the Big Four is the goal to achieve 100 per cent Universal Health Coverage by scaling up NHIF uptake. And those who have taken NHIF seriously can tell you that it has gone a long way in helping them deal with medical bills.
In the plan, the government is targeting to ensure that 30 million Kenyans are under the NHIF cover-up from 25 million who are covered from the current above 10 million members. In addition, there is a plan for the gradual increment of budgetary allocation to the health sector from 7 per cent in 2017 to 10 per cent in 2022.
This plan can be fast-tracked if Parliament enacts the amendments in the NHIF Bill before the House. The bill seeks to provide for mandatory contributions by anyone over 18 years who has an income.
Currently, contributions to NHIF are voluntary while employees have contributions deducted from their gross pay every month. The NHIF Bill, 2021 provides that employers will pay contributions for their staffers and not deduct the same from the employees’ pay.
While some are already opposed to this, it is a small price to pay for assured healthcare. Instead of selling family property to cater for health bills, Kenyans can actually rely on NHIF in future.
