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{
"id": 1564846,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1564846/?format=api",
"text_counter": 225,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Aden Duale",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Health",
"speaker": {
"id": 15,
"legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
"slug": "aden-duale"
},
"content": "that hospital will admit you, will treat you and will release you without paying anything. You do not need to register. I am sure many Members will agree with me that there are many Kenyans who die when the ambulance is going round, looking for a cheap hospital that can take a lower deposit. The SHA benefits now for emergency, chronic and critical illness fund will make sure that in any emergency, any hospital must admit, treat and release that Kenyan. I want to assure this House that if any hospital will do contrary to what SHA provides under the law you have passed, I will have no other reason than to close that facility. Mr. Temporary Speaker Sir, in summary, I think the Member has the key achievements of SHA benefits, which are found in our websites. Kenya has made a large step in achieving of the universal primary health care service for all Kenyans. It is important to know that 70 percent of the health burden is at the primary care in our villages in the rural parts of Kenya. That is why this House and the Government decided that primary healthcare must be free. We have a comprehensive coverage. Under SHA, you have more inclusive, detailed benefit package that covers a wide range of medical conditions, procedures and services compared to NHIF. The SHA provides clear tariffs for various services. It has enhanced transparency and predictability for members when accessing the health care services. Number four is the user-centric policy adjustment. The Social Health Authority (SHA) includes specific benefits and processes such as re-registration of members and structured penalties. We are focusing more on preventive care. The Social Health Authority (SHA) emphasizes on preventive care, including health education, screening, early detection, aligning with the long-term health outcomes. Before, we were dealing with the other aspects but this time, SHA says it's focusing on preventive. Lastly, it is better access to specialized services. The Social Health Authority (SHA) gives you more specialized care options, such as mental health care services, oncology, renal and providing members with better access. We also have a comprehensive emergency and critical care. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, let me comment on the question of the justification for the mandatory migration of NHIF contributions to SHA and any other measures put in place. If you agree with me, when I was looking at this question, I asked myself, why should I answer? This is because it is this House that created the law on the Social Health Authority Act and Social Health Insurance. In the transition clause you are making NHIF redundant. So at that stage, you should have asked, why are we transiting? I have to do it because I have to answer questions before the House. Now that I am on this side, I think Sen. (Prof) Ojienda should have asked this question when we were passing the Bill, which is now an Act. The Social Health Insurance Act repealed the National Health Insurance Fund. With the repeal, all the obligations and assets of NHIF were moved to the Social Health Authority as provided for in the Social Health Insurance Act. The effects of Paragraph two and three of the First Schedule to the Act 23 was to pass all these assets, rights, duties, and powers of the NHIF in the Authority, which assets include NHIF database. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}