The Government has intensified its pursuit of actualising Universal Health Coverage across the country following an exercise that saw Cabinet Secretary for Health Nakhumicha S. Wafula preside over the Social Health Authority digital registration test run at a household in Marsabit County on Friday.
The event which happened on the sidelines of commemoration of World Blood Donor Day at Marsabit KMTC grounds comes before a mass registration drive across all 47 counties, beginning soon.
The CS while urging all Kenyans to register under the new scheme in a historic endeavour to usher the country into the league of nations with healthcare for all,also appealed to the locals to embrace the reforms being spearheaded by the Government in a strategy that seeks to better overall health care across all the 47 counties.
She said it’s all systems go as the remarkable progress has been made and technical teams will now address issues identified in readiness for countrywide event that would lead to a major complete shift from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Authority (SHA), slated to commence on July 1, 2024.
According to the Government communique, Kenyans are expected to use various platforms including registration on phone,SHA website ,at public hospitals,huduma centres and also by the 107,000 Community Health Promoters across the country.
This,the CS called upon Kenyans to be accompanied by a copy of the national identification document or any other approved document, and for children without identification, documentation provided by the state department responsible for social protection.
She emphasised that Linda Mama had not been scrapped off having been one of the vertical programs that existed under NHIF.
SHA is now covering households and all mothers will still access the maternity services that were offered under the Linda Mama programme, though now broader to cover the entire household, including school going children previously beneficiaries of EduAfya.
Upon the request of Marsabit Governor Mohamud Ali to include Clinical medicine and Nursing courses in the local Kenya Medical Training College, she said Nursing Council of Kenya [NCK] will visit the institution to assess its readiness for incorporation of the two programs from September this year.
This development, she affirmed will be significant milestone in the efforts to improve access to quality medical care in the county as well as providing much-needed boosts to the health sector as well as create job opportunities for the local community.
Also present during the event were the first daughter and country’s Blood Donation Ambassador Charlene Ruto, area Governor and Woman Representative Mohamud Ali and Naomi Waqo respectively,Laisamis MP Joseph Lekuton,SHA Chairman Dr Timothy Olweny,his Transition counterpart Jason Kap-Kirwok,KMTC CEO Dr Kelly Oluoch among others.
