By ISAAC MESO
NAIROBI, KENYA: The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) has launched a new insurance cover to cater for Kenyans working in the informal sector.
The new NHIF cover will cost each family Sh160 per month and will cover the contributor, one spouse and unlimited number of children.
“Today we are launching a nationwide informal recruitment campaign that will see registration of workers from the informal sector in a bid to ensure universal health coverage to every single Kenyan,” said NHIF Board Chairman Mohamud Ali.
He noted that availability of universal healthcare for all Kenyans will make it easy for the poor to access quality health care as the medical bills would be catered for by the insurance cover.
NHIF Chief Executive Officer Simeon ole Kirgotty noted that there were over 10 million eligible informal sector members who would be targeted in the coming weeks.
The new cover will offer comprehensive in-patient cover applicable at government hospitals. This would include maternity packages for both normal and caesarian deliveries.
Members who take the cover are also expected to benefit from renal dialysis packages available at Kenyatta and Moi Referral hospitals and comprehensive in-patient cover applicable at mission hospitals for non-surgical cases only.