NAIROBI, KENYA, NOVEMBER 27 – President William Ruto has expressed confidence that community healthcare promoters will bolster healthcare in Kenya.
Ruto said that the newly recruited community healthcare promoters will be taking health services to Kenyan’s door-step. He said many Kenyans are facing healthcare challenges especially hospital bills which robs many families their livelihoods. He said people are selling their properties to foot hospital bills.
“Many people in Kenya still faces challenges of healthcare. Hospital bills is a problem, people are selling their property, their cars, livestock and land to pay hospital bills,” he said adding that he thanks members of parliament for passing four new healthcare policies to control healthcare in Kenya.
Home treatment
According to Ruto, there are more than 7,200 healthcare promoters in Nairobi who are well equipped to execute their mandate. He said that community healthcare promoters will be visiting people in their homesteads to attend to them before Kenyans considers to go to hospitals.
“In Nairobi we have 7,200 community health promoters. We have given each of them equipment and we want each community health promoter to reach to your houses, so that we can work on health at home even before you go to the hospital,” the head of state said.
The new social insurance fund
National Insurance Fund (NHIF) had exclusions of certain certain diseases which Ruto now says they will not be there in the new Social Insurance Fund (SHIF). Diseases like cancer had limits to which once reached, the patient will not get cover for the bill. Additionally, mental health diseases were fully excluded in NHIF. President Ruto said that SHIF will have no exclusions.
“In our new Social Insurance Fund you will not be told that your card has run out of money, go sell your land. All the exclusions that were in NHIF like – if you have cancer you won’t get medication. We have removed all those exclusions. When you go to the hospital you will be treated and the cost will be catered for by insurance or the government of Kenya,” Ruto declared.
Paying for the needy
While speaking about the less fortunate Kenyans, the head of state said that the government will pay for Kenyans who won’t afford the new Social Insurance Fund. However, he said that those that will be paid for will have to paid for will have to be verified if indeed they can’t afford it.
“We have people who have no money to pay NHIF, in our new plan even those who can’t afford and we’ve verified, we will pay for their healthcare so that no Kenyan is left behind,” he said.
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