President William Ruto says the newly formed Social Health Authority (SHA) will expand access to affordable healthcare for millions of Kenyans.
Speaking during the launch of the Tenwek Mission Hospital Cardiothoracic Centre in Bomet, Ruto said SHA will focus on ensuring every Kenyan including vulnerable groups and those living with chronic illnesses receives high-quality care without the burden of exorbitant costs.
He explained that under the recently enacted Social Health Insurance Act Kenyans will access free primary healthcare at all dispensaries and health centres, with emergency services and ambulances available nationwide free of charge.
“Under the Social Health Authority, the package of eligible benefits includes cover for specialised services like cardiothoracic surgeries, which will be offered at this new centre to the best global standards. The authority will enable millions of Kenyans to access advanced care at facilities like this without worrying about exorbitant costs,” said Ruto.
Since the launch of SHA in July 2024, 13 million Kenyans have registered, with all public facilities integrated into the system and half of the private facilities already on board.
The President further stated that the recently enacted Digital Health Act provides a framework to streamline healthcare processes through digitisation—from patient registration to claims verification and payment.
He called for increased public-private partnerships to strengthen healthcare infrastructure and drive innovation stating that facilities like Tenwek will help reduce reliance on costly overseas treatment by offering high-quality care locally.
“Cardiovascular diseases account for 25% of hospital admissions in Kenya and exert immense pressure on the healthcare system. Facilities like this go a long way to mitigate this strain and to turn around the demand for healthcare from costly overseas options to local healthcare,” said Ruto.
