We will not relent until all Kenyans are registered under SHA, DP Kindiki says

The drive to register all Kenyans under the Social Health Authority (SHA) is being stepped up to ensure they get access to healthcare services through the national Taifa Care programme, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said.

The DP said Taifa Care is Kenya’s boldest and most consequential healthcare programme since independence, revealing the government targets enrolling 40 million Kenyans by the end of the year, having already registered 32 million in the last two years.

“It appeared impossible four years ago, but now healthcare universality is a possibility. We can smell it. We hope by the end of the year we will reach 40 million people and by next August we will have all Kenyans registered,” DP said.

While delivering the keynote address on Wednesday during the second day of the Kenya Health Summit at Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Prof. Kindiki said Taifa Care’s main goal is to ensure all Kenyans are healthy through easier access to medical services. President William Ruto opened the two-day Summit on Tuesday morning and held a lengthy engagement with health sector stakeholders and beneficiaries deep into the night.

“The Universal Health Coverage is about the health of the people of Kenya. Better quality healthcare for every citizen. We are now around 60 percent coverage. This is not a small measure compared to other countries,” Prof. Kindiki stated.

The achievements in registration, DP noted, are being consolidated through increased recruitment of doctors, nurses, lab technologists among other healthcare practitioners to meet the demands in various hospitals and health centres across the country.

This has been accompanied by better remuneration to boost morale and avert incessant industrial actions common previously.

Better equipment has also been distributed in the facilities for faster diagnosis and provision of care.

“Our objective is straightforward: a health system that works for the first time, works in every county and works for every Kenyan. That is how we will move from policy pronouncements to programmes, to performance, from investment to value and from the promise of reform to reliable healthcare delivery,” DP noted.

Since 2022, the government has deployed 24,573 healthcare interns across all 47 counties, sponsored 262 medical registrars for specialist training and committed to recruiting 5,000 additional nurses and midwives.

In addition, the national government together with the counties have recruited 107, 000 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) who are the first point of contact between citizens in the villages and are helping to carry out primary tests and guide on the best steps to take for medical care.

The Deputy President said their kits are being replenished beside advanced consideration for better monthly stipends.

Further, through the National Equipment Service Programme (NESP), DP indicated, sophisticated medical equipment worth 9.8 billion shillings has been delivered to 239 health facilities across 44 counties and has been crucial in effective disease diagnosis and treatment.

“More than half a million surgical procedures and over 50,000 cancer care services have been supported through the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and Emergency Chronic and Critical Illness Fund (ECCIF),” he said.

To meet the demands from improved access and service provision, the government is enhancing delivery of medicine and needed supplies through the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency which has undergone significant restructuring since the administration took over in 2022.

“Availability of medicine must also mean safety and quality. The Pharmacy and Poisons Board must strengthen efficient regulation, post-market surveillance and pharmacovigilance, and act firmly against falsified and substandard products,” DP emphasized.

Notably, the Primary Healthcare Fund, which is one of the key cogs in the success of the Universal Health Coverage has so far received 27.4 billion shillings and paid out 23.3 billion shillings to more than 9,300 Level 2 and Level 3 facilities.

“This financing has supported more than 20 million outpatient visits by over 15 million Kenyans. Primary Care Networks have also grown from two pilot sites in 2022 to the current 278 hubs spread across the country,” DP revealed.