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{
    "id": 780776,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/780776/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 200,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Eric Njiru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2725,
        "legal_name": "Eric Muchangi Njiru",
        "slug": "eric-muchangi-njiru"
    },
    "content": "Thank you so much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me an opportunity to add my voice to this good Motion. I also thank the Member for Nyali, Hon. Mohammed Ali, for this very good Motion. I thank him for his very fluent Kiswahili that has inspired so many other Members to speak in Kiswahili. Healthcare is a very important issue in this country. I am certain that if we were given an opportunity to choose between being healthy and being wealthy, all of us would choose to be healthy. The reason as to why so many Kenyans are flocking private and mission hospitals is because of the very poor services that we sometimes receive in our public hospitals. Therefore, we end up going to Kenyatta National Hospital, which is a referral hospital, to seek services that we would have gotten in other hospitals and health centres. I wish to support the idea of having a Level 6 Hospital in Mombasa County but at the same time applaud the efforts being made by the Government of Kenya, in partnership with universities such as Kenyatta University. We are aware that there is a teaching and referral hospital that is almost about to be opened at Kenyatta University. We believe that this and more would help Kenyans access healthcare in this country. I wish to bring to the attention of this House some statistics with regard to the access to the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF). The NHIF is a programme meant to help so many Kenyans access healthcare. The statistics that we have show that only around six million Kenyans are covered by NHIF. Out of those, only around four million are consistent in paying the premiums. Where are the rest? We have around 15 million Kenyans who are not covered by NHIF and so they cannot access basic healthcare in many hospitals. Why are they not covered? We are aware that Kenyans in formal employment who earn a monthly salary of about Kshs6,000 and below are required to pay Kshs150 per money for their NHIF insurance. Those of us who earn Kshs100,000 and more are supposed to pay Kshs1,700 for their NHIF medical insurance. Every other person is classified as “self-employed” and is required to pay Kshs500 per month for NHIF medical insurance. The reality is that so many Kenyans are not able to pay Kshs500 per month for healthcare because we have many Kenyans who live in abject poverty. Therefore, as we discuss the issue of opening up many regions to better and greater healthcare, it is important that this campaign is aligned with Jubilee’s Big Four agenda for Kenya. It is good for us to look at the NHIF issue so that we make it more affordable for Kenyans. As I conclude, it is important for us leaders not to politicise healthcare. As we speak, we are all aware that we have leaders who are pursuing the impeachment of one Cecily Kariuki, who is the Cabinet Secretary for Health. It is also common knowledge that Kenyatta National Hospital in the last one month has been in the news for the wrong reasons. So, we are saying that The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}