Poor Kenyans battling Covid-19 and are enrolled with NHIF will have to shoulder the burden of treatment as the national insurer will not cater for their treatment.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe and NHIF CEO Peter Kamunyo said it is expensive and unsustained for the NHIF and private insurance firms to foot the bills.
"It is not practical for NHIF and private insurance companies to cover pandemics," Kagwe said.
The CS, however, said that the government has come in handy to subsidise and write off treatment costs for poor Kenyans unable to pay their bills.
The CS spoke on Wednesday when he appeared before the Senate Health Committee to respond to concerns NHIF and private insurance firms have declined to cover Covid 19 related claims.
"It would not have been financially viable for NHIF to finance the treatment of Covid-19 for the current National/Enhanced Medical Scheme members of the Fund, or a National Covid-19 response modelled under UHC, without external financing specific to the reimbursement of the pandemic related expenses, and at specific hospitals," Kagwe said.
Kagwe at the same time ordered Kemsa to release PPEs and masks lying idle in their warehouses.
The items have been lying idle in the warehouses after the counties and other bodies declined to procure them as they were expensive.
The CS said he ordered Kemsa to allow counties to draw the products at the current market prices.