Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa is scheduled to appear before Parliament to provide updates on the transition from the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula confirmed that Members of Parliament would convene on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, for a session to discuss challenges encountered during the implementation of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme.
Wetang’ula stated that the Health CS, along with key stakeholders from the Ministry of Health, will address Parliament to share progress updates and address concerns raised by the public through their elected representatives.
“The Ministry of Health rolled out the program on October 1, and while progress has been encouraging, there have been a few challenges. Indeed, several members of this House have voiced concerns from their electorate regarding teething problems in the programme’s implementation,” he remarked.
The Speaker also confirmed he had approved a request by CS Barasa to engage with Parliament on UHC implementation matters.
This session comes amid ongoing complaints and confusion surrounding the rollout of the new health scheme. Public Service, Performance, and Delivery Management CS Justin Muturi has directed all Huduma Centres nationwide to establish SHIF desks to improve public access to information and streamline registration.
“I recognize that there has been confusion around SHIF and the Social Health Authority (SHA). To address this, I have instructed all Huduma Centres to set up SHIF desks to ensure every Kenyan can easily access information and register for this transformative program,” Muturi stated in a message on Monday via X.
During a visit to the Kapsabet Huduma Centre in Nandi County, CS Muturi assessed services and emphasized the importance of the SHIF desks in providing explanations and registration support.
“Affordable healthcare under Universal Health Coverage was a cornerstone of Kenya Kwanza’s manifesto during the 2022 campaigns, and we remain committed to fulfilling this promise,” he noted.
As of November 28, 2024, the Ministry of Health reported that 15,559,426 Kenyans had registered for the new Social Health Authority (SHA) scheme.
