Kenya to Launch Maiden Comprehensive Social Health Insurance Fund
By Emmanuel Sixtus
Nairobi, Kenya –
In a notable push to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), President William Ruto updated the implementation of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) starting October 2024.
The maiden health insurance scheme is dedicated to end the existing National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), the new scheme will broaden coverage and ensuring sustainable access to healthcare for all Kenyans.
Registration is to commence on July 1, 2024, the Ministry of Health will take care of the registration exercise across all 47 counties of the country.
Registration can be done via mobile phones, at public hospitals, and through 100,000 Community Health Promoters deployed across the country. HealthKenya to Launch Maiden Comprehensive Social Health Insurance Fund promoters will be mobilized well, with the mission to register every body in the country, and making sure that no one is abandoned in the upgraded health care scheme.
The aim of SHIF is to make sure that health benefits reach all Kenyans wherever they are in the country, the government doesn’t want to see anyone disfranchised due to poverty or lack of awareness. Important health services which includes screenings, dialysis, kidney transplants, and vital medications will be offered under the new health scheme.
SHIF will be well funded to purchase standard and important medical apararus to increase the output of health services. The country’s hospitals will also be equipped to meet the standard for delivery of enhanced health services.
The most crucial model of SHIF is its progressive funding that would not endanger its mission. Contributions will be income-based, with employed people adding 2.75% of their gross salary.
While those without standard employment, will contribute a minimum of KSh 300 monthly as required of them.
Meanwhile, the government will be taking care of the less privilege and vulnerable households. Government’s decision to step in for the vulnerable in the country is to make sure lack of money didn’t stop them from taking part in the essential health services.
The country’s Social Health Insurance Act, No. 16 of 2023, which was delebrated and given assent on October 19, 2023, and came into law on November 22, 2023, gives the legal background for this transformative initiative.
The Act validates the Social Health Authority, which will spearhead the management and operation of SHIF. Adjoining regulations, including the Social Health Insurance (General) Regulations, 2024, have been put in place to ensure smooth implementation and circulation the fund.
The success of SHIF aligns with President Ruto’s upward Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which embraces inclusive growth and social protection. The government’s commitment is further underscored by the allocation of KSh 26 billion to support the fund, to make sure it didn’t lack the necessary funding to meet the objectives set aside for it.
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha has repeated the necessity of this idea in transforming Kenya’s healthcare sector. By splitting healthcare services and extending the network from basic community facilities to advanced medical centers, SHIF objective is also to make quality healthcare accessible to every Kenyan, regardless of their socio-economic status.
Inspite the obvious gains of government backing, the settlement to SHIF has been riddled with legal challenges.
High Court had given directives suspending the completion of the Social Health Insurance Act. Afterwards, the orders were subsequently recorded by the Court of Appeal, giving the government the needed legal right to proceed with its schemes.
The SHIF initiative represents a massive step in realizing the constitutional right to health as enshrined in Article 43(1)(a) of the Kenyan Constitution. By providing a comprehensive health insurance scheme, the government aims to put to rest the disparities and lackings of the existing system, inevitably leading to better health outcomes for all Kenyans.
As the registration process starts and effective implementation progresses, the success of SHIF will sufficiently depend on public participation, effective management, and continued government support. With these factors in place, Kenya is on the path to setting a benchmark in healthcare reform on the continent.
The move by President Ruto will be a positive news for Kenyans who are on the streets protesting for the resignation of the President.
