The Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors have resolved to consider increasing the Social Health Authority’s Emergency Chronic and Critical Illness Fund.
This follows a meeting between the Council of Governors and Health CS Aden Duale to deliberate on issues emerging in the health sector.
They deliberated on the implementation and rollout of the Social Health Authority, digitalization of health, absorption of the Universal Health Coverage Staff, implementation of the National Equipment Service Program, payment of CHPS, and implementation of the summit resolutions, among other things.
The leaders resolved that the Ministry of Health and the Digital Health Agency will assess and consider Health Information Systems operational in the counties for inclusion in the Health Information Exchange portal, including Afya.ke.
“SHA to consider increasing allocation to the Emergency Chronic and Critical Illness Fund (ECCF) for enhanced service delivery and also consider additional allocation towards training and capacity building of level 2 to 5 health facility in-charges on SHA registration, optimisation and its products,” a statement read.
The Ministry of Health, together with SHA, will set a standardised package for covering health insurance for indigents and the Digital Health Agency to fast-track the rollout of the digitalization of health facilities across all the 47 counties to enable the successful implementation of other health projects, including the National Equipment Service Program.
They resolved that the Council of Governors, together with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of ICT, will establish a joint taskforce that will address electricity and internet connectivity as enablers to the effective digitalization of health facilities in the Counties.
The leaders said that the Digital Health Agency shall expedite the distribution of all devices to the remaining public facilities in support of Digitalization.
On the Absorption of the Universal Health Coverage Staff and payment of Community Health Promoters, the leaders agreed that the Counties undertake a head count of the UHC workers to enhance accountability.
The national government will transfer resources for UHC workers at the SRC-approved salary scales to the Counties.
They agreed that the Ministry of Health shall disburse resources for the salaries of VOHC staff to counties.
