Listen The success of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is dependent on PPPs. Such partnerships are only possible where they are backed by laws that protect the interests of the public. The Health Act 2017 is one such law. Part XIII of the Health Act details how the Government will engage private players in the health […]
Listen Social health insurance is a key pillar for achieving UHC in Kenya. Ongoing reforms at NHIF are designed to make it more effective and responsive. These include restructuring the management structure, constantly reviewing member contributions, extending the benefit package to outpatients, and adopting new strategies to increase membership. But NHIF cannot do it alone. […]
Listen Makueni is a mainly rural county in southeast Kenya, with a population of approximately a million people. It borders Kajiado, Machakos, Kitui and Taita-Taveta counties. From May to September 2016, the county initiated a pilot programme titled MakueniCare. The focus of MakueniCare was senior citizens over 65 years of age for whom it reimbursed […]
Listen President Uhuru Kenyatta has made achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2022 a major part of his second term agenda. He indicated in his inauguration speech that this would be achieved by expanding coverage under NHIF. The World Bank estimates that only a fifth of Kenyans have any sort of medical cover, which means that […]
Listen The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) is a State corporation whose primary mandate is to secure all Kenyans from financial risk occasioned by the high cost of healthcare services. This makes it a primary enabler of the government’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme. According to its 2018–2022 Strategic Plan, it should do this by […]
Listen To actualise the delivery of affordable healthcare for all through Universal Health Coverage (UHC), legislative reform is vital. The agency leading this key task is the Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC). Its work involves reviewing “current legal frameworks and systematic development of legislation through integration, unification of the law, elimination of anomalies, repeal of […]
Listen Lowering the cost of medicines in Kenya has been an uphill task, thus becoming one of the stumbling blocks to achieving UHC. According to WHO, 100 million people across the world fall into poverty because of out-of-pocket payments for medicines and related health services. In May 2019, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Health, cognisant of […]
Listen Between 2000 and 2008, the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency was going through tough times, coupled with challenges such as: inadequate funding from the government; overall lack of confidence in transparency, accountability and performance at KEMSA; lack of timely disbursement of procurement, and operational budgets. These challenges were a great impediment to the Agency’s efforts […]
Listen It is important to note that there is no Free Health Care (FHC) in the universe. If one accesses health services free, someone else somewhere is paying for it, or must pay for it in the future. The government has been providing funding in-kind for free services offered or supplemented through conditional grants, user […]
Listen The Kenya health sector has re-aligned its policies and strategic direction in line with the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. The Constitution guarantees the highest attainable standard of health as a right while devolving governance to ensure improved service delivery, greater accountability, improved citizen participation and equity in the distribution of resources. Additionally, Kenya’s Vision […]