Governors have opposed President Uhuru Kenyatta's government’s selection of Nyandarua county to pilot the universal healthcare project maintaining that the programme should be rolled out across the country.
Additionally, the Council of Governors issued a statement where they urged the national government to allocate the Ksh1.7 billion meant for the project equally.
A statement signed by Josphat Nanok, Chairman of the Council of Governors, read: “The Council of Governors has requested the Ministry of Health to pilot the universal healthcare project in all 47 county governments to ensure that both levels of government implement this agenda together.”
Last year, the national government announced that in order to achieve 100 percent universal health care coverage for all households by 2022 it would undertake major policy and administrative reforms in the health sector.
[caption caption="Council of Governors during a presser"]
[/caption]
The programme guarantees residents a package of health services, including the coverage of needy residents by the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and equipping of health facilities.
Deputy governor Cecilia Mbuthia stated: “What this means is that our county will benefit from national level support on free NHIF for residents in the next four years, and benefit from development partner support and even private sector investments.”
“Expanding health insurance by upscaling community-based insurance will include coverage of the elderly, persons living with an extreme disability, children under the age of five years, pregnant women and all high school students,” Nanok stated.
President Kenyatta last year directed the Health and Education ministries to enrol three million secondary school students for the NHIF.
Governors further stated that the 100 medical specialists who were planned to come from Cuba to work in the counties and in the two national referral hospitals will draw their salaries from the national government, with counties only providing furnished housing facilities, security and transport.
[caption caption="Council of Governors during a meeting"]
[/caption]
“The doctors will train county health workers on malaria vector control and on the management of HIV, hepatitis and diabetes," read part of the statement from Nanok.
"Additionally, the Ministry of Health will sponsor 50 doctors across all counties for a two-year training in Cuba majorly on family care,” added Nanok’s statement.
Finally, the governors demanded to be represented on the Board of NHIF as they target to enrol 51.6 million Kenyans to the Fund by 2022.
