The government has set in motion the process of abolishing the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
According to the government this is aimed at attaining Universal Health Care (UHC) in the country.
The Cabinet Tuesday approved three Bills that will repeal NHIF and in its place establish three funds. They include Primary Healthcare Fund; Social Health Insurance Fund; and Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund.
Read: How to Check Your NHIF Number: A Step-by-Step Guide
The Bills; Primary Health Care Bill, 2023; Digital Health Bill, 2023; Facility Improvement Financing Bill, 2023; and Social Health Insurance Bill, 2023 would be transmitted to Parliament for approval.
“These Bills usher in a paradigm in the legal and institutional framework for healthcare in Kenya by repealing the current National Health Insurance Fund and establishing in its place the following funds: Primary Healthcare Fund; Social Health Insurance Fund; and Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund,” said the Cabinet.
The Digital Health Bill, according to the Cabinet, will enable the development of standards towards the provision of m-health, telemedicine, and e-learning in healthcare.
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“This new architecture is expected to provide a framework for improved health outcomes and financial protection of families in fidelity to the State’s solemn duty to guarantee the health and welfare of all her citizens,” said the Cabinet.
The move has attracted varied reactions from the stakeholders in the sector.