Linda Mama has received over Sh13bn, says PS

Over Sh13 billion has been transferred to the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) in the past four financial years for the Linda Mama free maternity service programme.

Of the total funds, normal deliveries had the largest chunk of claims at Sh8 billion, followed by inpatient claims at Sh2.7 billion.

Claims from Caesarean sections cost Sh1.8 billion, antenatal (Sh1.1 billion), post-natal (Sh137, 000) and administrative costs were Sh108, 000.

Linda Mama mostly targets women in informal settlements and rural areas. It is meant for women who cannot afford the NHIF cover, which goes for Sh500 a month. It covers the pregnancy and expires six months after delivery. According to data presented on Thursday by Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache, so far, 2.3 million normal deliveries, 235,477 Caesarean sections have been conducted and over four million women registered under the programme in the last four years.

The number of deliveries have been increasing over the years, reaching 704,000 for normal births last year. The highest number of registrations was in 2018/19 with over 1.3 million women signing up. In most hospitals, mothers are reminded to register, failure to which they part with Sh5,000 on delivery day.

“Since the inception of the program, we have recorded tremendous progress when it comes to skilled deliveries. This has improved from 62 per cent in the 2013/14 to 84 per cent in the just ended financial year 2020/21,” she said. More efforts, she said, continue to be made to ensure 100 per cent skilled delivery and improve quality of care for maternal and neonatal health.