The National Health Insurance Fund has dismissed reports that the government-funded Linda Mama programme has been discontinued.
This is after rumours that the programme was among those that the Kenya Kwanza government had done away with.
But in a rejoinder, NHIF in a statement on Tuesday assured that the fund is still active and continues to take care of the welfare of mothers as intended.
“NHIF wishes to assure the public that the cover is still active as mothers continue to benefit massively. The fund therefore urges the public to ignore the false message shared online,” NHIF said.
NHIF said that so far over six million mothers have benefitted from the cover since its inception in 2017.
Linda Mama is a publicly funded scheme that aims to ensure that all Kenyan pregnant women and their infants have access to quality and affordable health services.
The government in 2013 removed all user fees at public primary care facilities and discontinued fees for all deliveries in the public sector under the Free Maternity Scheme.
“The programme targets expectant women and aims at reducing maternal and child deaths. In addition the programme ensures mothers do not struggle with paying medical bills during pregnancy and childbirth,” NHIF said.
The Ministry of Health transferred the Free Maternity Scheme to the NHIF, at which point it was renamed Linda Mama and how it works is that mothers must go to the health facility and be registered at the health facility.
The health facility then provides services which include antenatal, post-natal services or delivery services and then the facility has to fill out a claim form for the services that they have offered, sent it to NHIF for the NHIF to reimburse the facilities.
