The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) has unveiled a new chief executive officer as the country's economy grouds to a halt in the middle of a pandemic.
Through an advertisement carried out in local dailies, Peter Kamunyo Gathege is expected to assume office as the new CEO at NHIF on Tuesday, April 14.
The institution's board settled on the doctor with a background in Public Health after re-advertising the position in February 2020.
"The Board of Management National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) wishes to announce the appointment of Dr Peter Kamunyo Gathege as the corporation's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with effect from April 14, 2020," read the advertisement in part.
Kamunyo takes over the position from Nicodemus Odongo who was serving in an acting capacity.
Kamunyo comes in at a time the country is facing its worst-ever pandemic slowing the economy at all front.
Even before the pandemic, in January 2020, the national insurer made headlines after it was revealed that it's Ksh500 a month fund was no longer sustainable.
NHIF reviewed its rules requiring the scheme, which mostly caters to jua kali and other self-employed Kenyans, to demand a Ksh6,000 upfront payment for 12 months.
It was revealed that the company had been paying medical bills three times more than it had been receiving.
A number of hospitals countrywide had also accused NHIF of non-remittance hence hampering their services.
President Uhuru Kenyatta would later halt the implementation of the new measures by NHIF, a decision that experts warned risked collapsing the funds within two years.
Kamunyo is joining the company from MedSource Group Limited where he served as the chief executive since 2017. Before then, he had also worked as the CEO of Tai Medical Centres.
"Dr Kamunyo is a healthcare executive with 21 years experience ranging from clinical practice and healthcare management, medical insurance, healthcare supply chain & strategic purchasing and the pharmaceutical industry.
"He is a dynamic leader with a vision and passion for innovative healthcare to strengthen access," added the statement.
