A total of 2500 vulnerable households in Mandera East constituency were enrolled into the National Health Insurance Fund.
A partnership from National Hospital Insurance Fund and Mandera East Constituency Development Fund saw the 2500 vulnerable households benefiting from Sh 15 million NHIF cover.
Speaking while handing over the cheque to Ahmed Issack Yakub Mandera NHIF branch Manager, Mandera East Member of Parliament Omar Salah said that this will help the residents’ access healthcare.
Salah stated that Universal Health Coverage is part of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four agenda and ought to be given priority.
“This program is in line with Universal Health Coverage which is President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four agenda, we will continue doing this as a way of ensuring each and every person access health services in this constituency,” said Salah.
Salah confirmed that local and grassroots administrators have really played a major role in identifying the 2500 vulnerable households in all nine locations in Mandera East to be enlisted in the cover.
“Our chiefs have played a major role in helping us identify the vulnerable within the community.”
Salah added that they have ensured the principal members in the cover are women as cases of men abandoning their families in the region was rampart due to high cases of divorce and polygamy.
On his side Mandera NHIF branch Manager Ahmed Yakub urged other leaders in Mandera County to follow suit and start such initiative in constituencies.
He added that the program has been successful in the previous years and challenged principal members to add more beneficiaries to ensure a large number benefits.
According to Yakub, the 2500 households translates to more 15,000 beneficiaries.
Solomon Cheboton, Mandera County Deputy Commissioner was also present during the handing over of the 15million cheque.
By Charles Matacho
