President William Ruto on Wednesday launched the Social Health Authority 922 Lifeline and National Ambulance Dispatch Centre in Nairobi, establishing one national emergency medical number for all Kenyans.
He aid the service will provide free emergency calls across all networks, coordinate ambulance responses, and cover evacuation and the first 24 hours of treatment, whether a patient is registered with SHA or not.
He noted that the initiative marks a major step towards ensuring that no Kenyan is denied emergency medical treatment because they cannot pay.
He said this is in line with Article 43(2) of the Constitution, which makes a clear and unequivocal declaration: A person shall not be denied emergency medical treatment.
“We are turning a constitutional guarantee into a service that every Kenyan can reach through the launch of the SHA 922 Lifeline and the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre,” he said.
Present were Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, Governors Ahmed Abdullahi (Wajir), Johnson Sakaja (Nairobi), Abdullswamad Sherrif Nassir (Mombasa), Issa Timamy (Lamu) and Erick Mutai (Kericho), among others.
Ruto pointed out that the SHA 922 Lifeline will connect citizens in distress to emergency medical assistance, an available ambulance, an appropriate health facility and the public financing required to pay for that intervention.
“A trained emergency dispatcher will answer, establish your location and assess the emergency. The dispatcher will remain on the line, provide immediate guidance and identify the nearest available ambulance,” he said.
He directed every health facility contracted by SHA to ensure that no person requiring emergency medical treatment is denied, delayed, referred or transferred because they cannot pay, their cover cannot immediately be confirmed or a form is incomplete.
He explained that ambulance evacuation and the first 24 hours of emergency treatment will be paid for through the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund at the approved tariffs.
“In an emergency, the first question must never be whether a patient can pay. The first duty is to save life. And this is not just mere Government policy. It is a constitutional requirement,” he said.
He noted that 1,243 ambulance and emergency service providers have already been contracted by SHA.
“This is a strong beginning, but it is not enough,” he said.
The Head of State pointed out that the National Ambulance Dispatch Centre does not take these ambulances away from their owners.
Instead, he said, it makes them easier to find, coordinates their deployment and pays for every eligible journey undertaken.
“Coordination is not centralisation; it is the difference between 47 separate systems and one Republic working together to save lives,” he said.
At the same time, President Ruto said the SHA 922 emergency service is part of the health reforms the Government has implemented since 2023 to deliver universal health coverage.
He said that 32.2 million Kenyans are now registered with SHA, while eight million Kenyans have received treatment and KSh178.5 billion has been paid to hospitals, health centres and dispensaries.
Additionally, he said the Government has trained and deployed 107,000 Community Health Promoters to take preventive and primary healthcare directly to households.
“The Primary Healthcare Fund has so far paid Sh23.3 billion to more than 300 contracted facilities, directing public resources to the dispensaries and health centres closest to the people,” he said.
He added that more than 50,000 Kenyans have received cancer care, while nearly 21,000 patients are receiving dialysis through the national health system.
“The Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund, financed entirely by Government, has received KSh8 billion to protect Kenyans when every other safety net runs out,” he said.
Duale noted that the healthcare sector has improved significantly over the past four years because of the reforms.
The Health Cabinet Secretary noted that the emergency medical treatment service will save the lives of Kenyans who were previously denied medical services because they lacked money.
Governor Abdullahi said county governments have collectively invested in 586 ambulances to strengthen emergency medical services.
He further noted that healthcare delivery in the country has improved significantly, citing the legal framework, better-equipped hospitals, an improved supply of medical services and SHA.
“Saying it has improved is an understatement,” he said.
Governor Sakaja said the county government has invested heavily in emergency medical services.
He said the city’s emergency centre has 18 ambulances, adding that plans are underway to add another 20 in the next two weeks.
The SHA Chief Executive Officer Mercy Mwangangi said the SHA 922 emergency call centre will save the lives of Kenyans facing emergency situations across the country.
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