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President William Ruto on Thursday signed four Universal Health Coverage (UHC) bills into law.
The four bills include the Primary Health Care Bill, Facility Improvement Financing Bill, Digital Health Bill and the Social Health Insurance Bill.
The Primary Health Care Bill will help provide a framework for the effective delivery and management of health services using Primary Healthcare Networks (PCNs) and Community Health Units.
It will also entrench the role of the Community Health Promoters in the provision of community-based primary healthcare services.
The Facility Improvement Financing Bill will seek to provide for an efficient, secure and accountable mechanism for the collection, retention and management of revenue derived from health services.
On the other hand, the Digital Health Bill will be used in developing and maintaining the Comprehensive Integrated Management Information System (CIMIS) to manage the core digital systems and the infrastructure required for its seamless health information exchange.
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The Social Health Bill will transit from the current National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), which will now enable all Kenyans to access quality care, regardless of their financial status.
This now means that Kenyans employed in the formal sector will make a monthly contribution of 2.75 percent of their salary capped at a minimum of Ksh.300 and a maximum of Ksh.5,000.
President Ruto’s plan revolves around promoting universal healthcare, and requires all workers to contribute 2.75% of their salaries towards a new health fund.The government says it will make healthcare more affordable and accessible for poorer Kenyans.But it has proved unpopular with many Kenyans, who see it as a new tax.
They say it is the latest in a series of measures that Mr Ruto has introduced, worsening the cost-of-living crisis, despite the fact that he won elections last year with a promise to ease the financial difficulties of families.
Some also fear that the new healthcare fund will be beset by corruption, like the existing one, meaning they are often unable to access the health services they are entitled to.Parliament has backed President Ruto, passing the Social Health Insurance Bill, along with three other health bills, on Tuesday.
