Over 50 women in Kiambu County are overjoyed and celebrating after the county settled a debt of over Ksh6 million at the Thika Level 5 Hospital.
Through the Wamatangi Care, Governor Kimani Wamatangi paid the bill to ensure the women were reunited with their families and no longer be detained in the hospital.
The women comprised mothers who could not raise the hospital bill, underage girls, and foreigners from Burundi were not eligible to register for the Social Health Authority (SHA) also known as Taifa Care and remained stranded in the hospital for months.
"The services here are good. Were it not for my lack of money to clear the bill, this is one facility that has the best service delivery," Josphene Mbeneke, a beneficiary of the program, said.
Speaking during the release, Kiambu CECM Health Services Elias Maina encouraged the patients to register for SHA to prevent such occurrences in the future where they are unable to pay for their bills.
The CECM encouraged that they didn't have to pay much, but would get exclusive services courtesy of SHA.
"I'd like to urge you please, ensure that you register for SHA, you can never prepare enough for illness, nor know when you'd fall sick," Maina encouraged.
The county has revealed future plans to register more residents who cannot register for SHA under the Wamatangi care where the county will be paying for them and ensure they don't miss out on the medical services.
"The governor is aware that there are some of you who would like to register for Taifa Care but are unable, that is why we have the Wamatangi Care. With Wamatangi Care, the governor himself will pay SHA for you. We will continue to register more people at the Wamatangi care to ensure all get medical services, " Maina continued.
The initiative by the county government is part of a continuous program that has been ongoing for months.
In just three months, the county government had approved substantial waivers, including Ksh3 million in August 2024 and Ksh4.1 million in September 2024.
The move by the county comes as leaders countrywide continue to encourage Kenyans to register for the Taifa Care that rolled out in October 2024. According to the Ministry of Health, so far over 16 million Kenyans have registered for the Care.
