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President William Ruto has reiterated the government’s commitment
to ensure access to healthcare for all Kenyans.
Speaking during the 60th Mashujaa Day
celebrations in Kwale on Sunday, Ruto acknowledged there are teething problems
in the shift from the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the
Social Health Authority (SHA).
“I call on all Kenyans to have faith and a little patience. In
a matter of weeks, SHIF will be serving us efficiently and making the dream of
Universal Health Coverage come true,” the President said.
The President said healthcare remains a priority under the
Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
“We are advancing the scope of the Universal Health Coverage
to give every Kenyan access to promotive, preventive, curative and emergency
services,” he said.
“The value for money in this scheme will be undeniable once
the migration from the National Health Insurance Fund is completed and the fund
is fully operational.”
According to the President, as of the beginning of this
month, 12.9 million Kenyans were registered with the Social Health Authority
(SHA).
Ruto said all public health institutions, and 50 per cent of
private facilities, were already enrolled to provide services.
He has called on private hospitals to expedite the
contracting process to enable us to complete the final phase of the Universal
Health Coverage rollout.
The President said to accelerate the rollout, the government
has released Sh3 billion to settle outstanding payments to service providers.