Families in Kenya suffer as millions lie idle at NHIF

James Meme, his wife Catherine (left) and daughter Ruth at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after landing from India where he had gone for kidney transplant in January last year. Catherine hopes NHIF will pay Sh1.2 million required for the transplant. [PHOTO FILE: STANDARD]

NAIROBI: Life for Lameck Tala and his family has never been the same since finding out that their 10-month-old son needed a liver transplant. That was three months ago. The father was identified as the donor, but the cost of the procedure was way beyond their means—Sh5 million.

Tala, his wife and their son would have to stay in India for between two to three months after the surgery for monitoring and to allow father and son recuperate. Weeks after the diagnosis, family and friends had raised less than Sh2 million and the clock, as the doctors warned, was ticking fast for the baby. It was then that a friend suggested they approach the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) for help in meeting the costs.