Health Principal Secretary, Eng. Peter Tum in a meeting with International Monetary Fund delegation at Afya House.
Nairobi, Kenya, July 31, 2018 – The government has reaffirmed its commitment to implement health systems reforms to accelerate movement towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Principal Secretary of Health Eng. Peter Tum said UHC is a means of realizing the ‘’Right to Health’’ as enshrined in the Constitution. “By 2022 it is envisaged all Kenyans will be protected from financial catastrophe arising from use of health care services, and all citizens will access health benefit package that will address their health needs,” Eng. Tum assured after briefing I.M.F Mission on the second review.
The PS said UHC will be greatly anchored on Primary Health Care where most population seek heath care services.
He noted that to enhance social protection, the Government has since 2013 implemented several programmes towards financial risk protection such as elimination of user fees at the level 2 and 3 health facilities and introduced ‘’Free Maternity Services’’ in public health facilities. “These reforms have led to a doubling of hospital deliveries from 600,000 to over one million annually,” he said.
Other measures the Government has undertaken include availing subsidies for the elderly and persons with disabilities, with 42,000 households accessing healthcare through the NHIF Super Cover benefit package among others.
He revealed that under the Big Four initiative, NHIF coverage will be increased from the current 16 million of the population covered, to 46 million Kenyans covered by 2022.
In addition, the PS said the Government has allocated Ksh 5.1 billion for transforming health systems for universal health care project which covers primary health care especially improvement of reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health services.
Other funding which are critical to Universal Health Coverage that the Government has committed include immunization programme at a cost of Ksh.3.3 billion, Interventions on HIV/Aids, Malaria and TB in collaboration with Global Fund at a cost of Ksh 3.1 billion, User Fees Foregone for access to health facilities at the County level at a cost of Ksh 900 million and conditional grants to Level 5 Hospitals at a cost of Ksh 4.226 billion.