Low-income earners are set to benefit more from the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), as under the new model, every individual will contribute according to their earnings to achieve an equitable premium.
Speaking at a Mombasa Hotel during the Community Health Promotion Fund (CHPF) Annual Stakeholders Consultative Meeting, the Deputy Director General for Health, Sultani Matendechero, noted that every household would contribute 2.7 per cent of their gross income, with the contribution increasing substantially.
Dr. Matendechero said despite the challenges being encountered in the transition, the new health model is beneficial to all Kenyans and it should be supported.
“I want to assure that in the long term, this model is going to enable us to optimally finance all our healthcare needs towards realisation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC),” he stated.
The CHPF forum themed “Achieving milestones towards UHC: innovations, opportunities, and challenges”
The forum aims to drive a network of collaborations and partnerships in promoting primary health care within the community.
Dr. Matendechero noted that through CHPF, the government has managed to collect information easily through the Community Health Promoters (CHPs).
The move has seen over 126,000 patients suffering from diabetes having access to healthcare, thus managing the disease at an early stage to prevent further complications.
Additionally, he stated that the same has happened with high blood pressure patients, noting that over 300,000 patients have been linked to health facilities to ensure they can start early treatment of hypertension.
“These are some of the non-communicable diseases that have accounted for the highest numbers of debts within the country, hence our Health Promoters are already showing us what we wanted to achieve when we started this program,” he explained.
The CHPs, he added, encouraged investment in health promotion and disease prevention to save on the cost of treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care.
CHPs under the CHPF have also played a vital role in linking pregnant mothers to antenatal care clinics across the country. He commended the CHPF team for the significant impact they have on UHC.
CHPs were lauded for their concerted efforts to improve healthcare within the community, especially at the grassroots level.
“We are expecting that by involving CHPs more, we are going to see a drastic reduction in the number of mothers who are losing their lives during birth, which has been a tragic issue we have witnessed in the public health system,” said the Deputy Director of Health.
On his part, a trustee of CHPF who is also the Director of the North Coast Training College, Reuben Waswa, said to promote healthcare at the grassroots level, the organisation is working closely with HELB to provide funds for the less fortunate students within the health sector.
To lift the burden of travelling a long distance for patients, the organisation has set up seven Health Information Points (HIPS) in various areas within Kilifi County aimed at bringing health services closer to the people. Five more will be established next year.
By Nuru Soud
