President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday, December 4, gave a clean bill of health to his Universal Health Coverage (UHC) which has recently been in the eye of the storm.
Speaking in Thika, Kiambu County, the president announced that the full UHC rollout in the remaining 43 counties would take place in the current, 2019/2020 financial year after a successful pilot phase in four counties.
“We are on course for the full rollout of the universal health coverage in the year 2019/2020 where we expect to cover the remaining 43 counties in our country. Indeed, the lessons from the pilot affirm that a robust primary healthcare system is the vehicle to secure sustainable Universal Health Coverage in our country," Uhuru stated.
The project elicited controversy after the Ministry of Health revoked a tender awarded to Mike Macharia-owned Seven Seas Technologies for unclear reasons.
A report published by the Daily Nation on Sunday, December 1, indicated that the company had been tasked with the provision of a Healthcare Information Technology (HCIT) system under the Management Equipment Service (MES), a key pillar for Universal Health Care.
The abrupt cancellation reportedly could ground the entire Universal Health coverage (UHC) agenda or delay it with cost implications for the taxpayer.
President Kenyatta, however, allayed the fears and stated that the agenda was very much on course due to the unwavering support from development partners, notably the Catholic Church and the Government of Japan.
The president was talking during the opening of a new outpatient block at the Catholic Church-owned Mang’u Dispensary funded by the Government of Japan at a cost of Ksh8 million.
“I also call upon other development partners to join hands with us in our development agenda, especially that of achieving our aspiration of scaling up Universal Health Coverage in the coming weeks,” he stated.
