Over 100,000 households in Kitui to gain from subsidised health cover
A medic attends to a patient.
The county government of Kitui is targeting to enrol 100,000 families in its planned roll-out of a subsidised medical insurance scheme.
The devolved unit has partnered with the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) in the initiative that improves on the existing Kitui County Health Insurance Cover (KCHIC) to support poor families by paying half of their annual health insurance subscription.
Already, some 31,000 poor households have been enlisted to the NHIF at a cost of Sh192 million with support from the National Treasury in a deal that was approved by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
According to Governor Charity Ngilu, the county will contribute Sh3,000 annually for each household while the beneficiaries will top up Sh3,000 to make the Sh6,000 annual cover.
“We are simply improving on the county health insurance scheme. Unlike the KCHIC scheme where beneficiaries only enjoyed healthcare services in facilities within Kitui, the NHIF cover allows those registered to get inpatient and outpatient treatment in public or private facilities throughout the country, ” said Mrs Ngilu.
In the deal, the county government will spend Sh300 million of its Sh3.7 billion health sector budget to support the 100,000 families.
NHIF chief executive Peter Kamunyo said the fund had already received the Sh192 million to cover the 31,000 families.
Dr Kamunyo lauded Governor Ngilu’s move to support poor families, saying, universal health coverage was likely to be attained in Kitui because the county had 190 health facilities that have been accredited by NHIF, including the 14 Level Four hospitals.
He welcomed Governor Ngilu’s move to support poor families saying UHC was likely to succeed in Kitui because the county had 190 health facilities that have been accredited by NHIF, including the 14 level-4 hospitals.
Governor Ngilu said in the last three years, her team have upgraded diagnostic equipment at the Kitui County Referral Hospital (KCRH) including a state of the art CT scan and ensured all the 14 Level Four Hospitals have an X-Ray facilities.
“In preparation for national UHC roll out, we are enhancing our service delivery and have already increased the number of medical facilities from 187 to 300, thereby reducing distances residents travel and improving access” said Governor Ngilu.
“To ensure services run smoothly, we have put up operational theatres in Kitui, Mwingi, Mutomo, Ikutha, Migwani and Tseikuru county hospitals and are finalizing similar theatres at Mutitu, Zombe, Kanyangi, and Kauwi hospitals” she explained.
Governor Ngilu said she had overseen the most robust staffing of medical personnel ever witnessed in Kitui County with our 102 doctors and specialists and that the quality of healthcare can only get better.
