Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa has urged Kenyans to remain vigilant against misinformation regarding the newly introduced national health insurance being rolled out by the government.
Barasa who was in Kakamega County decried the dangers posed by the spread of false information, particularly by leaders, regarding the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) following the transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
“For politicians, let’s not be the ones saying SHI,SHA, SHO…..you are the ones who should be supporting this great agenda, so that our people – the needy, the vulnerable, and the poor in the community, can be able to access the very same services that the rich she stated.
According to the Health CS, misinformation can undermine public trust in health programmes and lead to confusion among citizens, which can be detrimental as many individuals who require health services may miss out on opportunities that could benefit them.
“People should go to hospitals to see for themselves if SHA is functioning or not. Sometimes we encounter misleading information on social media. We need to provide the community with accurate messages about SHA to prevent losing lives and to ensure the success of this wonderful programme,” she remarked.
Barasa encouraged Kenyans not to rely on hearsay but to enrol as members of the new health plan and discover for themselves whether the criticisms are indeed true.
“Watu wajisajili SHA, waende kwa mahospitali waonekane, pesa iletwe halafu madawa itakuja, madaktari wakuje na services ziendelee kuwa mzuri,” she said.
