Ten counties lead in achieving universal health care

Kajiado County Governor Joseph Ole Lenku (right) receives his NHIF card from Mr Gibson Muhuhu, Depuity Director of registration and compliance at the NHIF during the opening of Ngatatowek Healthy Center in Kajiado on 10th May 2018. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

Ten counties have achieved over 50 per cent universal healthcare coverage through the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).

According to NHIF Deputy Director Gibson Muhuhu (pictured), Laikipia, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Kisumu, Taita Taveta, Nyandarua, Machakos, Nakuru, Nairobi and Makueni have made gains in healthcare coverage by enrolling residents into the medical fund.

Mr Muhuhu was speaking in Nanyuki over the weekend at a meeting with Amref CEO Githinji Gitahi and Governor Ndiritu Muriithi to discuss NHIF registration.

He praised the community-based model embraced in Laikipia to enrol residents, saying it was effective and worth emulating by other counties.

“We are excited with Laikipia because it has been able to identify those who are able to pay for NHIF and those who cannot,” said Muhuhu.

He noted that getting data on poor households made it easier to come up with mechanisms to ensure that they were put on a subsidised enrolment.

The governor said the County was not targeting 100 per cent coverage.

“Out of the total population, 52 per cent have health insurance and we are optimistic about covering 100 per cent," he said.

Mr Gitahi criticised counties that were coming up with their own schemes to enrol residents.

“Our advice is that we should centralise our resources towards the capacities that already exist in NHIF," he said.