Health Cabinet Secretary Nakhumicha S Wafula has appealed to mothers from Migori County to register for Linda Mama program whose aim is to ensure pregnant women and infants have access to quality and affordable health services.
Speaking on Sunday while attending a church service and fundraiser at St. Mary’s Uriri Catholic Parish,Nakhumicha disclosed that the government has already set aside resources towards successful implementation of the scheme.
According to the Linda Mama Implementation Manual, 2016, the program was introduced to improve efficiency and enable women to access an expanded package of benefits; including antenatal care, deliveries, and postnatal care for the newborn for one year, as well as enhance access, equity, affordability, and quality of services.
“As government we want to tell you not to listen to anyone misleading you to shun the state sponsored development initiatives because when you do so it’s you who will suffer.According to stastics, Migori has registered low numbers for Linda Mama program yet we have prioritised massive investment in this sector.This financial year of 2023/24 we have put aside a whooping Kshs 4.89 billion towards the same initiative. So I want to call upon our good mothers to hurry up and grab this opportunity by enrolling as this will ensure that pregnant women and infants have access to quality and affordable health services” said Nakhumicha
Linda Mama provides a package of basic health services accessed by all in the targeted population on the basis of need and not ability to pay, positioning Kenya on the pathway to Universal Health Coverage ( UHC).
“This initiative is part of a strategic plan to achieve maternal and child’s health services, which will contribute to the country’s progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).It is a free health insurance plan exclusively for mothers and their newborns that eliminates financial barriers to accessing maternal care services” she added
It is a government-sponsored initiative that was introduced in 2013 as a health financing strategy to provide affordable maternal care. The package is run by National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), available in all NHIF-accredited hospitals, and primarily targets expectant mothers who cannot afford any medical cover, including NHIF subscriptions.
The program is part of the ongoing initiatives being spearheaded by Nakhumicha towards actualization of UHC set to be rolled out next month during Mashujaa Day Celebrations in an exercise set to be presided over by President William Ruto
“I want to be known as Mama Afya Mashinani so that anyone walking to any facility in this country can get services. That I brought down this heavy monster that people call UHC to the people” she remarked in a past interview
The Sunday event brought together a host of leaders including Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetangula, Internal Security Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo,host Member of Parliament Mark Nyamita,his counterparts from Suba South and Kuria East Caroli Omondi and Marwa Kitayama respectively among others.
