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NHIF targets counties to boost enrolment

 Vihiga County governor Wilbur Ottichilo (R) and Geoffrey Mwangi, CEO NHIF

NAIROBI, KENYA: The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) is targeting counties to enroll their residents in the national health care insurance scheme, an initiative that is meant to boost access to universal health care.

Geoffrey Mwangi, the Fund’s CEO asked the county governments to work together with the Fund so that more hospitals get NHIF accreditation. He added that through enrolling with NHIF, the facilities in the counties will be improved because of the revolving-fund effect and that the lives of the county residents will be improved through packages such as Linda Mama.

The NHIF CEO spoke during a high-level tour of NHIF and Ministry of health officials to Vihiga, Kakamega, Siaya and Migori counties, where he met the respective governors to lobby their support for the on-going universal health care enrollment campaign.

The high level talks within the key stakeholders in the health sector resorted to enter into a mutually beneficial relationship that will see counties benefit from NHIF comprehensive health cover.

NHIF will work with AMREF and Community health workers in the counties to increase enrollment with the teams floating innovative proposals including pegging NHIF membership to essential county services such as issuing of county government licenses.

Previously, similar initiatives have proved to be successful in previous counties such as Nyeri and Baringo counties where NHIF membership is used as a precondition to obtaining avocado seedlings and the latter in the Kimalel goat auction whereby for every goat auctioned, the farmers are encouraged to remit to NHIF.

Deputy Director medical services in charge of quality assurance Dr. Wamae said community health workers will be instrumental in increasing enrolment due to their regular involvement with the residents at the grassroots level.

Vihiga Governor, Wilber Ottichilo, pledged his support to NHIF promising to work closely with the Fund to ensure more people joined the scheme.

Currently Vihiga county has a population of 688, 778 far exceeding the 53 accredited health care providers hence creating an opportunity for accreditation of more health institutions in the county a move that is likely to lift the health care burden on the County Government.

The Governor noted that once in place, the initiative will go a long way to curb the rampant culture of numerous fundraising activities communities engage in to raise funds to offset hefty hospital bills but will now easily be catered for by NHIF.

The county bosses said they will embark on identification of elderly persons, orphans and people with disability- including the severely disabled in the county in collaboration with the County Commissioner’s Economics unit to ensure they benefit from the funds.

The joint governors, NHIF and ministry of health officials called on stakeholders to come up with a modality on how it will be implemented and how the funds will be distributed.

Currently, NHIF benefits package include inpatient, outpatient, maternity package, surgical package, radiology package, oncology, emergency evacuation, among others.

On his part, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya pledged the county’s full support to NHIF and promised to support their initiative to achieving universal health care.

Oparanya said the County will open the first phase of the Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital which would include a medical school that is preparing to receive its first students in September this year.

Currently, all the counties that the Fund has engaged on enrolment of their residents have agreed to sign the MoU. 

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