Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1344080,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1344080/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 263,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah (Kikuyu, UDA)",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "premiums by dialling on their phones. We have had to make several amendments to the NHIF Act in this House. Hon. Speaker, the Social Health Insurance Bill of 2023 seeks to accelerate the progress that we have made in those reforms and actualise Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as we promised under the Kenya Kwanza Administration in our campaigns last year. While those reform initiatives have yielded significant progress, several gaps remain, especially from a recent analysis that shows that, among others, NHIF operates under a very passive regime and is, therefore, a passive buyer or purchaser of health services rather than a strategic purchaser of health services. The NHIF is also plagued by inefficiency and governance challenges, as witnessed recently. Just the other day, several high-ranking officers at NHIF were forced to relinquish their positions, including the former CEO, because of governance challenges and inefficiencies in the system. The NHIF has also turned out to be financially unsustainable under its current structure. It is against this backdrop that the Government proposed a complete paradigm shift in the provision of social health insurance as proposed in this Bill, and one that would seek to, among others things, repeal the current NHIF Fund Act of 1998. The principal object of this Bill is to put a legislative framework that will regulate the provision of social health insurance and promote the implementation of UHC as was espoused in our Vision 2030 and reinforced by the Kenya Kwanza Plan of 2022. It will also ensure that all Kenyans can access affordable and comprehensive health services. The Bill will repeal the National Health Insurance Act (No.9 of 1998) upon enactment. This Bill will regulate the provision of social health insurance, reducing the current high out- of-pocket expenses by many Kenyans on healthcare. In doing this, we will fulfil the provisions of Article 43 of our Constitution on social rights, which includes the right to access affordable healthcare. That is what we seek to provide under UHC. The paradigm shift I spoke to seeks to address primary healthcare to enhance preventative and promotive care to reduce the demand for healthcare commodities. Members will know that the current state has a curative rather than a preventive and promotive approach. Therefore, we are shifting from more of curative to preventative and promotive approaches that will come under primary healthcare. Currently, we have non-comprehensive vertical services. We are moving to comprehensive and integrated services under this new Bill, which will be realised through the Digital Health Bill that we have just passed. We currently have a fragmented primary healthcare structure, and we endeavour to shift to primary healthcare with networks that strengthen service delivery right from Level 1 and 2 to Level 3. Lastly, we have under NHIF, a financial support system that is not sustainable as we speak. Therefore, we are moving to a very sustainable financing model, where Kenyans paying Ksh500 will now enjoy lower rates at the rate of Ksh300. We are moving to a sustainable system where Kenyans who before could not access health care because they could not afford it, today under the primary healthcare fund, so long as they are members of NHIF or have registered with the Fund, will be able to access primary healthcare at their local dispensaries at Level 1, 2 and 3 without having to pay since the Social Health Insurance Fund will cater for their health care. Over and above that, Kenyans have suffered immensely. As I moved the Digital Health Bill, I spoke of instances where families have agonised as to whether to sell their land or dispose of other valuable assets to be able to sort out medical bills, especially in cases where a family member suffers from a chronic illness, be it cancer or diabetes. The cost is out of reach for millions of Kenyans, and the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Health will tell you that less than 7 per cent of the Kenyan population can afford quality health services provided by our health services sector. This Bill seeks to ensure that no Kenyan is left behind in the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}