The Ministry of Health is mulling changing the name of the national health insurer from National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to National Social Health Insurance Fund (NSHIF).
Health CS Susan Wafula has revealed there are plans to change the name as part of changes to the agency that has in the past been riddled with scandals.
“The ministry is working on a plan to revamp NHIF to refocus the insurer on primary health and to ensure that Kenyans of all walks of life can access affordable quality healthcare,” the CS said.
“Once revamped the fund will be launched as the National Social Health Insurance Fund.”
This comes barely a year after the name was changed from the National Hospital Insurance Fund to the current National Health Insurance Fund.
The change in the name happened in January 2022.
This was informed by the fact that the fund was amending its contract with healthcare providers to broaden the scope of service delivery.
The board argued that it is not only hospitals that deliver health, but there are many healthcare providers such as pharmacies that are to be included in the new contracts.
This comes even as doctors cast doubt on the ability of the fund to drive the Universal Health Coverage agenda.
National Police Service and Kenya Prisons Service declined to renew a contract by NHIF for the officers’ comprehensive medical cover.
NHIF was on December 16 informed it had lost the tender to a consortium of private insurance firms.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union now says the success of UHC can only be through investment in public institutions such as NHIF.
“You cannot say that you want government institutions to work and the same government will take billions to private insurance companies yet we want to drive the UHC of this country with NHIF,” KMPDU SG Davji Atellah said.
