PUBLIC HEALTH healthcare annually for themselves and their extended families ; notably , just 1 in 5 Kenyans have health insurance that covers them and their dependents .
To remedy this , the NHIF ( Amendment ) Bill 2021 proposes to have every adult Kenyan to make an annual compulsory Ksh . 6,000 contribution to the Fund . If Parliament adopts these State-backed changes to the law , it may make Universal Health Coverage ( UHC ) a reality .
The Bill proposes to make it mandatory for any person who has attained the age of 18 years ( currently just under 26 million according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics ) and is not a beneficiary to register as a member of the Fund ; each Kenyan over the age of 18 will be required to pay Ksh . 500 monthly in a remodelled UHC scheme for outpatient and inpatient services , including maternity , dialysis , cancer treatment and surgery . Planned mandatory NHIF membership will be an upgrade of the scheme where currently only workers in the formal sector are compelled to join .
The compulsory enrolment has the potential of making NHIF the richest State-backed firm given that the proposed law will also compel employers to match workers ’ monthly contributions to the Fund . The NHIF Act makes it voluntary for informal workers to join and contribute Ksh . 500 monthly . Only those in formal jobs are compelled to contribute between Ksh . 150 and Ksh . 1,700 , depending on their salary scale .
It is unclear how the State intends to make the unemployed or those working in the informal sector to compulsorily register and contribute to NHIF . AKI and the Central Organisation of Trade Unions ( COTU ) have opposed the Bill . The most notable concerns here are where does the NHIF money collected currently go and can the State really be trusted with over KES 154 billion annually for UHC ?
Unfortunately , Kenya ’ s health system is not meant to prevent illness , rather it is meant primarily to treat the sick ; simply put , there is little emphasis placed on preventive healthcare and this only adds to the country ’ s disease burden .
Our public hospitals remain dangerously understaffed and ill equipped . This results in episodic industrial action by health workers which requires a lasting solution . Listening to health workers ’ grievances and the timely payment of their salaries would be a good place to start . Transforming the NHIF to a National Health Service is essential . ■