Governors oppose plan to pilot universal healthcare project in four counties

Council of Governors chairman Josephat Nanok, accompanied by other governors, addresses a press conference at Delta House, Nairobi, on March 5, 2018, regarding forest cover. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • County bosses demand counties receive equal share of Sh3b set aside for roll out across the country.
  • Counties also want NHIF to cover non-communicable diseases.

Governors have opposed the government’s selection of four counties to pilot the universal healthcare project, saying that the programme should be rolled out across the country and the Sh1.7 billion allocated equally.

Further, the Council of Governors demanded that the national government equally allocates the Sh3 billion set aside for the roll out across the country.

“The Council of Governors has requested the Ministry of Health to pilot the universal healthcare project in all 47 county governments to ensure that both levels of government implement this agenda together,” read a statement signed by Josphat Nanok, Chairman of the Council of Governors.

The governors also want the National Hospital and Insurance Fund (NHIF) to take up the responsibility of covering non-communicable diseases adding that the prevalence varies from County to County and are expensive to treat.

“The Council recommends that if there is possibility of front loading the Sh3billion of the fifth year funds for transforming health system for universal health care project then, this must be utilized by all 47 counties,” he added.

The county bosses further want to be represented in the Board of the NHIF, as they targets to enroll 51.6 million Kenyans to the Fund by 2022.

HEALTH POLICY

To achieve 100 per cent universal health care coverage for all households by 2022, the national government last year announced it would undertake major policy and administrative reforms in the health sector.

This is after Kenya was picked among 10 other countries to pilot roll out of universal health coverage at the Universal Health Coverage Forum in Japan.

“Expanding health insurance by up scaling community based insurance will include coverage of the elderly, persons living with extreme disability, children under the age of five years, pregnant women and all high school students,” said Mr Nanok.

A directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta last year to the Health and Education ministries to enroll three million secondary school students for the NHIF raised questions.

The governors also said that the 100 medical specialists set to come into the country from Cuba to work in the counties and in the two national referral hospitals will draw their salaries from the national government, with counties only providing furnished housing facilities, security and transport.

“The doctors will train county health workers on malaria vector control and on the management of HIV, hepatitis and diabetes. Additionally, the Ministry of Health will sponsor 50 doctors across all counties for a two-year training in Cuba majorly on family care,” added Nanok’s statement.

Counties will sign an MoU to operationalize the workings of the specialist doctors beginning June 2018.