Kilifi residents have welcomed the introduction of the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) citing the promise to improve the healthcare system in the country through the provision of better services in both public and private hospitals.
Giving views during a public participation forum on the Social Health Insurance Regulations 2024 Bill on Monday, the majority of participants expressed satisfaction with the universal aspect of the scheme where they will be able to access medical attention in any hospital in the country without being restricted to a specific facility as is the requirement in the current National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Through the digitization of medical records, the residents said that it will make it easy for them to be attended to in any hospital regardless of their location, especially for patients with lifelong chronic illnesses.
“I have liked it a lot because my daughters, who are all anemic can now be attended to in any hospital without having to narrate their medical history over and over again to every new doctor,” said Noliah Kithenji, a Nyumba Kumi ambassador in Kilifi.
She however called on the government to ensure pharmaceutical drugs are available in all hospitals, especially in public hospitals.
USAID Stawisha Pwani Health Strengthening Officer Mary Kemunto stated that the government should first run a pilot of the fund before its full rollout to inform relevant authorities of the gaps to be filled during its official implementation.
“This is a new fund that is coming into operation and they need to pick up lessons from the gaps and challenges experienced in the implementation of NHIF that is being phased out. Government should not implement SHIF without piloting it first,” Kemunto stated.
She added that the public’s opinions should be put into consideration during the bill’s review in Parliament to ensure that the fund caters to the healthcare needs of the general public.
Juma Mubarak a resident of Kilifi expressed concern over the public participation being just a formality instead of being a way for the government to involve the public in the law-making process.
“We have attended many public participation forums but you find that our views do not reflect in the final product. I feel discouraged to take part in these forums,” he said.
He said this while urging the government to ensure that public opinion is reflected in the final bill so that more Kenyans do not feel like they are just being used as a formality in the process.
Other concerns raised in the forum include a lack of adequate awareness of the fund at the grassroots level, annual upfront payment being too much for the common person, and lesser time given for the public to review the bill before public participation.
Kilifi Branch NHIF Manager Omar Mwatabu assured them that their proposals would be considered when coming up with the final regulations.
He explained that the Social Health Authority (SHA) was formed to address the challenges that most Kenyans face when getting medical care at various facilities in the country.
“We are here for your opinions. This public participation is taking place in the whole country, your opinions will be assessed by a Parliamentary committee that will later forward them to Parliament for deliberation during the bill’s review process”, Mwatabu explained.
By Cynthia Maseno and Jackson Msanzu
