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{
    "id": 1501332,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501332/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 62,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "His Excellency the President",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 168,
        "legal_name": "Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta",
        "slug": "uhuru-kenyatta"
    },
    "content": "Health delivery is not just about fulfilling a constitutional mandate followed by whatever level of government. It is about ensuring that healthcare is not a privilege for the few who can afford and a pipe dream for the many that cannot. For years, National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) was saddled with debts and inefficiencies, and healthcare was being severely and negatively impacted. For far too long, too many households have lived on the edge, just one inch less away from financial catastrophe. Our healthcare system has historically neglected the poor and vulnerable, leaving them without any option, while private sector medical coverage remained out of reach for the majority. This is precisely what we will correct through the provision of universal health coverage. This agenda is not just about a promise; it is about a bold commitment to deliver health through transformative financing reforms, making healthcare accessible and affordable, digitizing our healthcare services to enhance efficiency, eliminate fraud and stop corruption, and to empower a skilled and motivated health workforce. To honour our commitment on the UHC, I signed into law four groundbreaking legislations on the 19th October, 2024, passed by this august House. The Social Health Insurance Act replaced the outdated National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and established the Social Health Authority (SHA), which oversees three essential funds. This modern framework ensures that every Kenyan, especially the most vulnerable, can access quality healthcare services when they need it most. The shift from the NHIF model to Taifa Care is fundamental and radical in both skill and character. If I may give you a bit of example, NHIF served a few salaried Kenyans and those who could afford to pay, but Taifa Care covers every Kenyan, regardless of employment or financial status. Secondly, despite serving a limited class of citizens, NHIF nevertheless accumulated billions of shillings of debt because of misalignment between contributions and the actual cost of healthcare. Taifa Care has undertaken an accurate costing of all healthcare-related goods and services in order to provide affordable, timely, effective, and efficient service to every Kenyan. Additionally, the NHIF had a waiting period lasting between registration and eligibility for service; I think it was about three months. Under Taifa Care, citizens are eligible for all services upon registration. I, therefore, urge every Kenyan to take the most important step in securing dependable healthcare for themselves and their families - register. Register now, or at the earliest possible opportunity."
}