A group of MPs have backed a motion that would require all public servants to seek medical care in public hospitals.
Sponsored by nominated MP Sabina Chege, the motion instructs the Ministry of Health to implement the Kenya Universal Healthcare Coverage Policy 2020–2030 and introduce a policy requiring all civil servants, public officers, and State officers to use public healthcare facilities.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, July 23, Chege reminded the House of the urgent need to improve the quality of care in public hospitals, noting that many facilities remain underfunded, in turn undermining service delivery.
As such, she revealed that if these government employees were mandated to use public hospitals, more attention and resources would be allocated to the facilities, improving their current status.
"Civil servants, public officers and State officers are accorded a comprehensive medical cover by the respective government agencies, appreciating that the use of the comprehensive medical cover by public officers and State officers in public hospitals would guarantee sufficient funding for public hospitals,” she said.
Backing this assertion, Dagoretti North MP, Beatrice Elachi, relayed that this policy would lead to a change in the perception that public health facilities offered substandard care compared to private hospitals.
Noting that the same doctors who serve in public institutions like Kenyatta National Hospital were the same in private clinics, she opined that this belief was rooted in perception and not competence.
She further called for the regulation of exorbitant fees charged by some medical institutions, saying the high cost of healthcare remains a major barrier for many Kenyans.
The chair of the National Assembly Committee on Health, Seme MP James Nyikal, reminded the MPs that they would also need to lead by example by adhering to the directive if the policy is passed.
He added that this would restore confidence in public institutions and make them the standard that private providers look up to.
“We need to look at the ethos of this country. If we really meant it, we, as Members of Parliament, should commit to using public services—flawed as they may be,” he stated.
To achieve this standard, Kwanza MP Ferdinand Wanyonyi argued that the government needed to improve the pay and working conditions for healthcare workers in public institutions to motivate them to uphold higher standards, rebuild trust, and reduce brain drain to the private sector.
Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro cited the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), which was so developed that even the Prime Minister is treated in public hospitals, an approach that he states boosts public confidence in the public healthcare.
