The Ministry of Education is urging parents to enrol their school-going children into the new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) before the third term commences.
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang announced that students should register as dependents of their parents.
SHIF will replace the National Health Insurance Fund.
"Registration of all Kenyans to the Social Health Insurance Fund commenced on July 1, 2024, as a key enabler towards the realization of our Universal Health Coverage. All School children are therefore required to register as dependents of their parents before school opening dates for the 3rd term 2024," Kipsang said.
Registration is available online at WWW.sha.go.ke or WWW. afyangua.go.ke via USSD *147#
Kipsang said for any challenges they might encounter during the registration, they should contact the Social Health Authority call centre via 0800720601 or [email protected]
The Social Health Insurance was enacted on October 19 2023 and commenced on November 22, 2023.
This new development provides relief to many students who lost their health coverage after the government discontinued the Sh4.5 billion EduAfya insurance scheme, leaving over 3.4 million learners without protection.
After the termination of the cover for schoolchildren, the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association called on the government to ensure the continuity of the program, which ended on December 31, 2023.
Social Health Authority chairman Timothy Olweny defended the Social Health Act, saying it will address NHIF's shortcomings.
He said SHA will help fulfil the government's mandate to provide affordable primary healthcare and emergency health services.
Olweny said the Act will provide additional services that were not covered by NHIF.
